Left 4 Friendship: Magic is Dead
by UnweptFlynn
Summary: Equestria is dying. A plague has swept through, turning millions into mindless zombies. In the midst of it are four ponies, aimlessly wandering the country, unsure of what horrors lie ahead. But one thing's for sure, the apocalypse has never been cuter.
1. A Message

_2 weeks after first infection_

No light shone on upon the mystical land of Equestria. Only the bleak night covered the equine country in its gloomy grasp. A cold, eerie wind swept through the dark suburbs of Baltimare. Creeping figures wandered the streets aimlessly, their faces blank and their mouths covered in blood.

The once proud city now stood in ruin. Plumes of smoke rose from numerous buildings, polluting the already darkened sky with ash. Far off gunshots rang throughout the darkness, signaling desperate attempts for escape, for life. The dead carcasses of ponies were strewn everywhere, giving the city the likelihood of a horror film. But unfortunately for the remaining citizens of Equestria, this scenario was all too real.

In a lonely alleyway, four ponies roamed. The group was armed with weaponry ranging from a simple pipe to a military-grade machine gun. Their clothes were tattered, their bodies had numerous scratches and bruises, and ashes caked their tired faces like one of Rarity's facials.

The quartet scanned their surroundings carefully, observing every little detail with a cautious eye. Nothing in this apocalyptic world was as it seemed anymore, and the small team of survivors had learned that the hard way.

Suddenly the leader, a purple unicorn with a green jacket holding an M-16, motioned for the group to stop, commanding, "Hold up." Before them was a pile of dead bodies surrounding the corpse of a seemingly blown-up zombie. A thick green slime trailed from the exploded remains.

The unicorn carefully touched the unknown liquid. Observing it, Twilight said, "Never seen 'em like this before."

Behind her, a rainbow-maned pegasus wearing a leather jacket and biker gloves remarked sarcastically, "Jeez, Twi'. Don't let that stop you from smearing it all over yourself."

The unicorn turned to her cocky friend, her eyebrows raised. Then Twilight wiped the rancid green slime all over Dash's leather vest, replying stolidly, "They're changing."

As Twilight steadily continued forward, Pinkie Pie couldn't help but snicker when Dash said annoyingly, "Aww, dang it Twilight! Ugh, it stinks!"

The rest of the group took no other heed to Dash's whining, so they kept proceeding through the dark alley with their guns raised to strike at any moment. Suddenly, the group heard a soft sound pierce the silence. It was the muffled sound of somepony crying, coming from the inside of an abandoned building.

Startled, another pegasus, a timid pony wearing a pink sports jacket clutching a single revolver, said quietly, "Somepony's still alive!"

Fluttershy and Twilight both went in to survey the muffled sob while the other two kept watch outside. The duo held their flashlights steady as they slowly crept towards the sitting silhouette moaning in the corner. Twilight whispered, "Over there."

Not knowing the dangers of the figure ahead, Fluttershy cooed, "Hello? Hello? Hey, it's okay... We're gonna -."

Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the hall for a split second, revealing the source of the sobbing. It was a pale mare, whose white hair hung low over her glowing red eyes. But her most noticeable feature: the sharpened claws like knifes that replaced her hooves.

Twilight reacted quickly, swiping Fluttershy's flashlight away and whispering, "Lights off!" The timid pony didn't need to be told twice.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie, who was dressed in a buttoned shirt and a red tie, began to feel her eyes and nose simultaneously begin to flutter. The Pinkie Sense. Which could only mean one thing…

Behind her, Rainbow Dash began to fire her shotgun wildly into the approaching hoard of zombies. The monsters were relentless, charging straight at the quartet of survivors without hesitation. To make matters worse, it seemed with every zombie Dash blasted, two more took its place.

Panicked, Pinkie rushed into the door screaming, "THEY'RE COMING!"

It was not the best move for the hyperactive pony. For when she scrambled into the door, the beam of her flashlight inadvertently flashed across the pale figure inside. All of sudden, the seemingly passive creature became the angel of death, letting out an ear-splitting screech.

Upon seeing this, the normally calm Fluttershy commanded, "Run like hell!" Then she, Twilight, and Pinkie quickly dashed out of the hallway, trying to elude their deadly pursuer. Pinkie slammed the door shut, blocking the Witch inside with her body. But to her surprise, sharp claws protruded through the wood, trying to land a swipe on the one who had disturbed her.

Pinkie Pie shot at the creature with her submachine gun yelling, "How do you like that you meanie!" until the clawed hoof fell limp and motionless. Then the pink pony turned to her comrades, who were dealing with the onslaught of infected monsters. As she blasted zombie after zombie with her shotgun, Dash warned, "Stick together!"

From a looming fire-escape stood a tall figure with a tongue that seemed to droop all the way to the ground. With a growl, the Smoker propelled the appendage forward, wrapping itself around Twilight's unprotected body.

Luckily, Dash noticed the creature's attack. "Hold on!" the pegasus said, shooting the zombie with remarkable aim. The tall monster exploded with a plume of smoke, blurring the survivors' vision with its green mist. Coughing, the rainbow flier helped her unicorn friend up off the ground, followed by the quick shotgun blast of a charging infected. With a smirk, the confident pegasus said, "Happy Hearth's Warming!" before returning to the melee that was ensuing.

Fluttershy had somehow managed to break free from the horde. Reaching toward her belt, the timid pegasus pulled out a cylindrical device. It was a simple pipe capped on both sides with an alarm fixed to it (a little creation Pinkie Pie had somehow scrounged up). Fluttershy, using a tiny match, lit the fuse at the end of the makeshift bomb. The sparkling end lit up the dark alley, and the sound of the alarm rang clearly through the city.

"Fire in the hole!" Fluttershy called out. Then she lobbed the grenade far away from the group, and the rest of the horde followed suit. The bright light and the high-pitched noise attracted the mindless beasts, giving the team a chance to seek safety in the streets. With a final beep, the homemade explosive went off, sending a spectacular cloud of shrapnel, smoke, and body parts flying into the air.

Just as quickly as it had begun, the horde stopped. Or at least, so it seemed.

The street was illuminated only by a single flickering light, providing only a small glimpse of the crowd ahead. But, in the distance, something caught the groups' eyes. At first it seemed like a tiny star in the night sky, somehow breaking through the clouds of ash. But soon they realized the light was getting closer and closer, accompanied by the sound of whirling propeller blades. It was a search helicopter.

Before anypony could stop her, Pinkie Pie, being the attention deficit pony she was, ran towards the helicopter and waved her hooves wildly. She called out excitedly, "Hey! We're over here! We're not infected! Down here!"

But the vehicle just continued on its path, disappearing over the rooftops. Dejected, Pinkie Pie uttered, "Dang it," before attempting to head back to her group. But little did she know, a shadowy figure lurked from the rooftops, hearing her plea for help. The hooded zombie had followed the isolated pony into the streets, realizing that she would be its next prey.

With a tremendous leap and a loud screech, the Hunter flew through the air before landing on the pink pony below. The force knocked Pinkie to the ground and knocked her submachine gun out of her hooves. The devilish creature raised his arm, revealing a set of sharp, jagged claws which were ready to strike.

Before the Hunter could dig its claws into Pinkie's flesh, however, it found itself stumbling off the incapacitated survivor, shoved by Fluttershy.

Although she was looking away, the timid pony fired shot after shot of her revolver into the zombie's body. Pinkie Pie, who was still on the ground, took out her pistol and began to assist her friend, pumping lead into her attacker. Soon, the bullet-riddled body fell backwards onto the back of a car. A car that glowed with flashing orange lights.

The moment happened much too fast for the quartet to even comprehend. Before Fluttershy could help Pinkie up, the high-pitched sound of a car alarm filled the neighborhood. "Oh, this is gonna get bad," Twilight uttered, staring at the daunting shadows of the night. Then, a huge simultaneous cry emanated from the ruined city, followed by the sound of an entire army charging towards the feeble company. All hell was about to break loose.

All around them, monsters swarmed. Some were scrambling up fences, others were literally clawing their way through the crowd. The quartet was surrounded. It seemed as though nothing could get worse.

That was when the cart flew overhead. It rocketed high into the air before violently crashing down behind them. Then came the telltale guttural roar as a hulking figure loomed in the distance. And it kept coming and coming, charging through whatever was in its way.

Finally, the monster broke through the horde, revealing a huge, bloated figure that was once a pony. Its muscles were swollen beyond belief, making it ten times the size of a regular pony. The head was practically buried in the masses of muscle, and the remains of the zombies he had smashed covered his hulking frame. But now it had a new target. In this case, four.

The group back pedaled as the Tank advanced closer and closer. Pinkie Pie asked frantically, "Run or shoot?"

Again, she asked louder, "Run or shoot!"

"Both!"

Heeding Twilight's advice they began to fire at the behemoth, but to no avail. Then they quickly darted though the horde, retreating from the mob. They headed into a nearby alley, continually shooting the Tank as well as the horde. Finally, Pinkie spied a fire escape leading up to the top of an apartment complex. "Get to the roof!" she shouted.

She, Twilight, and Fluttershy began to scramble up the ladder while Rainbow stayed down, trying to buy some time. She pointed her shotgun at the Tank, taunting, "Come on! Come on!"

But just as she was about to pull the trigger, the monster swung a Common Infected at her, knocking her to the ground. Dash raised her hoof to see the Tank's huge arms raised and ready to crush her.

But Twilight saw this and quickly shot at the Tank, distracting it long enough for Rainbow to climb up the ladder herself. The unicorn gave a smirk as she followed suit, thinking, _Merry Hearth's Warming Dash._

Fluttershy stood atop the fire escape, firing off her revolver and saying, "Go! I'll hold them off!"

The rest of the team quickly made their way onto the rooftop while Fluttershy continued to fire into the crowd. The Tank's animalistic nature, however, would not let its prey go without a fight. With surprising leg strength because of its tiny legs, the behemoth leaped up and grabbed onto the fire escape. The sudden jolt sent Fluttershy into the railing, causing her to drop her gun.

The fire escape could no longer bear the Tank's weight however, and the ladders began to detach from the building with a creak. A panicked Fluttershy began to run up the collapsing railing. Giving a quick flap of her wings and extending her forelegs, she jumped up, calling, "Rainbow!"

With the reflexes of a well-trained stuntpony, the colorful pegasus managed to catch her timid friend in the nick of time. Fluttershy watched the Tank fall back into the wreckage of the fire escape as she dangled off the edge. The giant monstrocity lay motionless, pierced by the crooked metal. Finally, with the help of Pinkie Pie, the group pulled the yellow pegasus up to safety.

Fluttershy and Dash scrambled away from the edge, and a wave of relief washed over them. They lay back on the roof, trying to catch their breath from yet another near-death experience.

Pinkie Pie sat on her haunches, giving an eased grin. She chuckled, "We made it! I can't believe we made it!"

Pinkie and the two pegasi began to laugh and pat each other on the back. But Twilight only sat with indifference, reloading her gun.

"Girls, we just crossed the street," she began. "Let's not throw a party until we're out of the city."

The only reply was silence.

_xxxxxx_

_*Crackle Crackle*_

_Hey. Is this thing working? Good. Haven't used a recorder in a while, prefer the ol' pen and paper myself. But in times like this, obviously I don't have the time._

_Anyway, my name is Twilight Sparkle. It's about…two weeks into the infection. I'm here with my friends Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie (who says hi. Pinkie, you do realize they can't talk back to us, right?). We're on top of this abandoned apartment complex surrounded by hordes of zombies in the once-beautiful town of Baltimare._

_Y'know, it's crazy. Only two weeks ago, things were fine. Equestria was at peace. Nopony fought anypony, there was no plague, no war. We were so carefree and joyful back then. The biggest thing we had to worry about everyday was hanging around and learning about friendship and whatnot. As cute as that may sound, I would give anything for things to be that way again._

_Now, there is a devastating war on our own turf. Casualties have risen into the millions. And the enemies? Our own neighbors. The ponies who would invite you to come over and eat dinner, are now mindless freaks who want __you__ for dinner. It's hard killing the ones who were once your friends, neighbors, ponies just like you or me. It's hard waking up every day thinking that today will be your last. It's hard knowing that the only goal you have…is to survive._

_But that's what we've been doing for the past fourteen, now fifteen days. Surviving, fighting…murdering. It's a job that nopony wants to do. Well, maybe besides Rainbow Dash. [Hey!] Oh, I'm just kidding Dash, you know that._

_But anyway, back to why I'm doing this. Truthfully, I'm not sure. Maybe so our story will someday be heard. Maybe it's a way for us to clear our conscience, get everything off our chest. Maybe the pony who hears this will learn from our mistakes. I don't know. _

_I don't know about a lot of things. Will this ever end? Will we make it through? Where are we even going? These are questions that I don't have an answer to. _

_But there is __one__ thing I am sure about. It's that we did not come this far, kill so many zombies, travel so many miles, to die now._

_The account you are about to hear is 100% true. This is our story. The story of the ones who were left for dead…_

* * *

**How's it going readers? For those of you who haven't noticed...this is a fanfic involving zombies. Yep, that's right, ponies and zombies. Together. Pretty out of the box, no? Well, I got you here with the summary, haven't I?  
But anywho, I'm starting to ramble, so let's get down to business. First of all, I do not claim ownership for My Little Pony. All that goes to Hasbro, Lauren Faust, the Hub, and all those wonderful people who have given us such an amazing show.  
Second, if you guys don't like the word _blood_, you probably don't belong in a zombie fanfic anyway. Sure, there's some tidbits of gore here and there, but I think teens can handle it, so that's why it's rated T. But if anypony has any problem with it, feel free to tell me and I WILL make adjustments.  
Third, don't be surprised if i throw in some OCs. It's gonna be a while, but just a heads up.  
Lastly, yes, this does have elements of Left 4 Dead strewn in here. Although I will make some of the places familiar to the game, this fic is a story of my own composition. So please, I would so appreciate it if i can get a loyal fan base here. Heck, you don't even need to stay. All i wish is to hear from you guys, the readers. I hope you guys take the time to leave a review, because nothing means more to me than to know that people actually care about what I write. Oh yes, and I plan to put up a new chapter every week, so stay tuned!**

**Well, that's my intro. Sorry if it's too long. Hopefully the next chapters will be more pony-like; this one was more to set the L4D mood. Thanks for reading, and keep on flying bronies! Help spread the love!**


	2. Day 1: The Day Equestria Died

**Hey guys. Well, now that the intro's done, we can get into the actual story! But first, I should probably also mention that any zombie names used in this story belong to Valve. That is all...  
And so, without further adieu, I present your feature fanfic presentation...LEFT 4 FRIENDSHIP: MAGIC IS DEAD.**

* * *

Fall was just around the corner, and leaves had begun to turn into their beautiful shades of red and orange. There was not a cloud in sight, leaving the sun's rays bursting from its perch in the sky. The air was crisp and refreshing, nothing like the sweltering heat of the summertime.

As was expected, everypony was outside, basking in the glory of this splendid autumn day. The streets were hustle and bustle as usual, with merchants, food carts, and other novelties lining the streets. Everything was…perfect. It was as if the world itself had no idea of the calamity that would befall that day.

Just as they did every other day, the Elements of Harmony were all hanging out. They had all gotten together for some late lunch. It had been a busy week for all of them, with the Annual Running of the Leaves, the Fall Festival, and other jubilant celebrations. After so many ceremonies crammed into the one week, the ponies were happy to have some rest and relaxation.

They were gathered outside next to a humble little restaurant called THE TELSTAR TAVERN, an eatery of Applejack's choosing. Everypony had eaten their fill, so they all settled in and made themselves comfortable. Stories were passed around, and giggles were shared. No harshness, no strife, just pure fun. But the serenity of that beautiful day was about to be shattered.

It began when Rainbow Dash began to tell (for about the hundredth time) how she had won this year's Running of the Leaves, beating the likes of Applejack. The cowpony replied sourly, "Ah think you must be mistaken, RD. Ah definitely was the one who crossed that line first."

"Well the medal doesn't lie, Applejack!" Dash replied cockily as she dangled the award in front of Applejack's snout.

"That ref was betting 500 bits on you, an' you know it! That race was rigged!"

At that point, Rarity decided to join in, chiding, "You are both acting like spoiled brats! Can't you see you are making a scene!"

As they continued the argument, Spike and Twilight looked at each other and rolled their eyes in disbelief. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was happily munching down on her fifth slice of cake while Fluttershy sat there, trying to quietly get the quarreling ponies' attention.

Spike lamented, "Think we're ever gonna get a break Twi'?" The lavender unicorn couldn't help but smile. She felt as though Spike could always find a way to brighten mood. But despite the light-hearted motive, the grim truth was that there would be no rest for the group.

Suddenly, they heard the piercing sound of shattering glass from around the street corner, followed by terrified screams. Immediately the arguing ceased, and they all looked uneasily towards the commotion. The seven were so used to peaceful, quiet neighborhood of Ponyville. Things like this never really happened around town, so they were all unsure of what to do. But for some reason, the incident compelled them to trot over and see if they could help.

A small group of ponies were already gathered in a circle, and shards of glass were littered across the ground. "Make room! Make room!" Twilight commanded. The spectators carefully moved aside, revealing one of the most gruesome sights Twilight had ever laid eyes on.

There, in the middle of the jagged pieces of glass, lay the broken body of an earth pony. She was lying in a pool of her own blood, and she had a large wound in the side of her neck. Twilight could faintly make out teeth-marks lining the cut, as though made by some vicious, bloodthirsty animal. The sight made Fluttershy cower in fear, and even Rainbow and AJ couldn't help but cringe.

But despite the blood, Twi' could faintly see the injured mare's chest slowly but surely rise up and down. Realizing that the pony was still alive (or so she thought), she told the group, "Somepony get a doctor."

Applejack stepped forward, answering, "Don't worry Twi', I'll get 'im."

"I'll come with you," Rarity added. "Besides, I need to check up on Sweetie Belle." Twilight nodded, and the two galloped off in search of the town's medic.

"What do we do, Twilight? I mean, there must be something we can do to help," Pinkie asked. Truthfully, the unicorn wasn't sure how they could help. Reading books on medical practice was one thing, but putting it into action was another.

But the lack of first aid experience didn't stop her from examining the broken body that lay before them. Being careful not touch the blood, the purple pony leaned down next to the body. She was…alive. That was all Twilight could tell. That and the fact that if they didn't get a doctor there soon, she wasn't going to stay like that for much longer.

"Spike, can you see if there are any bandages back at the library?"

"I'm on it!" Spike said, valiantly running off with utmost speed.

"Hey, let me see!" Rainbow Dash said, crouching next to her friend. "Do you think she can hear me? Hey, can you hear me? Just listen to my voice, alright? We gonna get you to a hospital," she said with surprising comfort.

Twilight was a bit skeptical about Dash's intention, however. The injured pony was unconscious, and surely there would be no response.

But then the pegasus said, "Hey, I think she's trying to say something. Look, her mouth's moving."

The unicorn began to examine the face. It was extremely pale like a ghost, a sight that sent a chill down her spine. A small trickle of blood seeped from the victim's mouth, which was something that didn't seem quite right. But sure enough, her mouth was very faintly moving. Twilight's heart brightened, and she thought that was a good sign.

Dash directed her head closer to the mare's face. "What was that?" she said, leaning ever so closely towards the stranger's blood-stained mouth. Suddenly, the stranger's eyes darted open. But those eyes didn't have the lively shine of an ordinary pony. In those eyes, there was nothing at all. They were pure white, completely blank, and they seemed to glow. It was then that Twilight realized this was no ordinary pony.

But before she could warn Dash, the creature suddenly leapt up from its prone position, lashing out at Rainbow with its jagged teeth. Rainbow had managed to pull her face away from the monster and shield her face, but not before receiving a bite on her front legs. She screamed, "What the hay!" as she pushed her assailant to the ground.

Twilight was completely dumbfounded at the scene that had just occurred before her. Somepony had just attacked her friend right before her eyes! And to make matters worse, the creature was turning its attention on her.

With startling speed, the injured pony darted towards Twilight. She tried to turn and run, but the act was futile. The animal launched itself at her, pinning her to the ground. It was making a gruesome growling noise, and from that close Twilight could see its bloodstained teeth ready to sink into her flesh. She could see those eyes, blank and colorless, and yet shining with animalistic ferocity.

All she wanted was to valiantly stave off her attacker and get back up. But that definitely did not happen. Instead, she basically had a panic attack.

Twilight could hear Fluttershy squealing in fright and Pinkie Pie screaming, "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!" And of course, there was a bloodthirsty beast trying to kill her. The unicorn could feel her heart beating out of her chest, and fear flushed through her veins, turning the bookworm's blood into ice. The one thought that flashed through her mind was "_I'm going to die"_.

She closed her eyes and prepared for the creature to plunge its teeth into her neck. But instead of the pain, she felt the pony jerk off of her with a yelp. Twilight opened her eyes to see the infected pony shoved away by Rainbow Dash. The monster was sent into the ground, trying to scramble back to its feet. But before it could regain its balance, Dash pinned it to the ground. In her teeth she held a large jagged piece of glass.

The creature tried to pry itself from Rainbow's grasp, squirming and tossing to no avail. Rainbow said through the glass, "This one's for biting me, you mule!" With a yell, she plunged the sharp weapon deep into the pony's eye socket. The squirming ceased. The grunting stopped. The beast was dead.

Leaving the glass in the corpse of their former attacker, Dash slowly flew over to the others, clutching her leg. It was bleeding, not as badly as the wound on the other pony, but it was still quite serious. But there would be no time to patch it up.

Rainbow barely had time to say, "What the hell was that?" before all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, a cacophonous wail echoed throughout Ponyville, causing the four to shiver in fright. Then, as if on cue, more of the mindless beasts poured out into the streets. From buildings, from the plains, from everywhere it seemed, they kept streaming out. And when those creatures came in, the world as they knew it went out.

The group had no time to stay and watch their neighbors be horribly mutilated by the zombies. With a voice filled with both fear and urgency, Twilight called to her friends, "We need to get out of here!"

"But what about Applejack and Rarity?" Fluttershy squealed. But the lavender spell-maker could only look sadly at the timid pegasus, and she knew what had to be done. Although they absolutely hated themselves for it, there was no other choice.

They started galloping. Rainbow flew above, whacking incoming zombies with a broken plank. Twilight led the grim convoy, levitating a piece of metal from a broken cart. Pinkie Pie was behind her, keeping a hold of Fluttershy who was clearly scared out of her wits.

But as they ran through the slowly crumbling village, it seemed like Ponyville had gotten two times bigger. It seemed like they were weaving and dodging those infected beasts for a lifetime. The screams of the infected and the healthy alike echoed all around them.

The group saw the looming tower of Town Hall ahead. At first it seemed as though safety was in their sights. But then the friends caught a glimpse of a poor pony being ripped to shreds by some hooded pony with sharp claws for hooves. Twilight would've just broken down right then and there if Rainbow hadn't shouted, "Just keep going girls! We'll be alright."

Truthfully that statement seemed highly unlikely at that time, but nonetheless it kept them going. A few hundred meters away, Twilight could see the edge of the Everfree forest, which surprisingly didn't have any zombies coming out. So she said, "Into the forest! It looks safe!"

"The Everfree forest? Are you crazy!" Pinkie Pie yelled, still having Fluttershy in tow.

"It's our only chance, Pinkie!" the unicorn responded.

So they ran faster and faster, barreling through the chaotic hordes toward the destination. As they say, it was so close and yet so far. They kept getting closer and closer, dodging the zombies every step of the way. Until finally…

The group leapt into the dense woods, not looking back at the carnage they had left. Although they had made it, they didn't stop running until they were far into the grim darkness of the Everfree. It was only after twenty minutes did the tired escapees stop to take a breather. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy sank down next to a tall, gray tree. Their faces were grim, and Fluttershy was quietly sobbing. Rainbow, seeing as though the foliage was too thick to fly, paced along the ground furiously. And as for Twilight, she was just still.

The unicorn slowly bowed her head in disbelief. Their home, in the span of a single day, was reduced to an infected wasteland. It was like some nightmare that they wished they could wake up from. But the harder they tried to pretend it was a dream, the more it became clear that this was all too real.

Twilight began to stare at their surroundings. The bleak, terrifying forest that they had sought safety in. Everything was just as mysterious and scary as ever. But she began to realize the chaos that was ensuing outside, and she could only think how ironic it was. This once dangerous forest that nopony would dare to venture into was now a safe haven.

Rainbow said, "What do we do now, Twilight? We can't stay here forever."

She was right of course. There was no way they could survive in there. The extent of their supplies included a broken plank, a bar of metal, and zero food and water. At first they didn't know what to do. But soon the answer became unmistakably clear. And unfortunately for the scared group of survivors, the solution was hardly better than staying in the Everfree.

They were going back in.

* * *

**And so the infection begins. But there is more to this apocalypse than meets the eye for our band of ragtag survivors. How will they escape the ruins of their former home? Only one way to find out...Keep on reading, and please...**

**REVIEW!**

**Edit: Y'know, I've noticed that the crossover sections are severely under-represented on this site. So perhaps, just for a little bit, I'll put this in the normal categories. See how it does. If anyone has problems with that, I'd be okay with changing back.**


	3. Day 1: They Were Once Like Us

They were in that forest for about an hour, giving them time to calm down and catch their breath. The survivors were still visibly shaken from the incident. But through the tiny patches of sky above they could see it getting darker. Soon it would be night, and everypony knew that the Everfree Forest was extremely hostile at night. Then again, the village wasn't exactly the pinnacle of safety either.

Rainbow leaned against a tree, where Fluttershy was tending to her wound. It was a nasty bite which had taken out a sizeable chunk of skin. Fluttershy had said the wound didn't cut into the muscle or bone, so at least there was that. But every time Dash would try to step on it, she grunted in pain. Fluttershy knew Dash needed medical help; otherwise it could get swollen or infected. And unless they were going to go deeper and try to find Zecora's place, this forest would be no use for that.

After a few more minutes of resting, Twilight said quietly, "Well, you girls realize what we have to do, right?"

After a pause for silence, she answered for them, "We've gotta go back to Ponyville."

At that statement, Fluttershy whispered hastily, "Please don't make me go back in there, Twilight. I don't want to see…what happened."

"Come on Fluttershy. It'll be a piece of cake. We'll go in, grab some food and some weapons, and head out before you know it!" Dash remarked.

"Weapons? Y-you mean I'm going to have to…"

Twilight took Fluttershy's hoof to try and comfort her, saying, "Please Fluttershy, you have to come with us. This place is dangerous now, and we can't leave you by yourself. There's strength in numbers, you know."

But she could tell the yellow pegasus's heart still wasn't in it. So the unicorn continued, "I promise that if we go back, we'll look for Applejack, Rarity, and Spike, okay?"

That seemed to convince her, and she reluctantly nodded her head.

So it was decided, the quartet was heading back to town. As they readied themselves for the undoubtedly perilous journey ahead, Pinkie said, "Don't worry, girls. I've got a good feeling about this! How much damage could some ponies do, right?"

Xxx

Apparently they could do a lot. As in, turn a whole city into a smoldering pile of terror in a matter of hours. _That_ a lot. The sun was already ducking over the horizon, and it was getting too dark. Pinkie plucked a flaming piece of wood from the numerous piles of wreckage strewn around the village. It was heart-wrenching to see Ponyville, their home, in such despair. Everything was once beautiful, friendly, and inviting. Every so often they would pass a building, and a memory of the fun times had there would fill their minds. But now it was all gone. The ponies couldn't help but shed a few tears. Even Rainbow looked a little distraught.

Here and there, they'd come across some zombified pony that used to be a neighbor. And they would have to kill them as though they were just some lowly animal. But they weren't animals. They were friends, loved ones, neighbors. They were ponies that were greeting them in the streets just a few hours ago. Now they were greeting them with snarls, blood, and bites. It was easy to see why the small party of survivors was scared out of their wits.

After killing another one of their "friends", Rainbow asked somberly, "What do you think caused this thing?"

"I don't know," Twilight replied.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

Just as she had promised, Twilight led the group on a search for their missing friends. Every now and then they would think they heard some kind of sound, a signal of another survivor. And every time they would come across yet another pony that they had to either run away from or put down. It was frustrating work, and it didn't help the morale one bit. One time they had come across the infected body of the Mayor herself. And just like the rest, Twilight had to bring herself to kill her.

Soon they found a large pile of ashes and rubble situated in the middle of the village. At first they weren't sure where it had come from. Some kind of fire? A building? As they sifted through the dust, Twilight soon came across a rectangular shape covered in the thick, black ash. Slowly wiping it clean with her magic, Twilight began to make out some letters. It was a sign. And after a few more brushes of her hoof, she made out the word…

_Library_

Twilight sat stolidly, unbelieving of the word printed before her eyes. The library, the very same one where she and Spike had lived. Their sanctuary, their home. It was the place where the unicorn could just sit and read her troubles away. But now, it was nothing. The only remnants of Twilight's past life were the ashes and a splintered, burnt, broken sign. The apocalyptic world sent her entire livelihood up in flames, not to mention the ideas of countless ponies before her. Centuries upon centuries of research and books were all reduced to ash.

And then there was the matter of Spike. He was still missing, and for all she knew he could be buried among the ashes of her beloved books.

Before she knew it, Twilight felt a tear stream down her face. She saw it plop onto the sign and run down, carving a tiny path in the ash. The scholar kept staring at the sign, trying to imagine it the way it was before the outbreak. But the act was useless, and it didn't change the terrible scene surrounding them.

Rainbow came up, putting her hoof on Twilight's shoulder and whispering, "I'm so sorry Twilight."

But she slid her hoof away and carefully placed the sign back into the ash. Wiping her face clean of tears, the unicorn said, "We need to keep moving."

And that's just what Twilight did. She never looked back.

XXX

After a few minutes (or an hour; time seemed so trivial at the moment) they found themselves standing in front of the Ponyville Mall. And the first thing Rainbow Dash said was, "We have a mall?" Apparently Twilight had no clue of its existence, and she too stood confused.

Twilight was still stinging from the destruction of the library. That plus the unknown whereabouts of their friends pretty much put a damper on whatever optimism they had.

Pinkie managed to say, "Maybe there's some ponies in there who can help us."

It was highly doubtful. The doors were all smashed in, and a few rambling zombies stood in the front. The glass windows were cracked, and it seemed as though a gas leak caused a small fire on the top floor. It was hard to believe so much damage could be done in half of a day. Yet there it was before their eyes.

Seeing as though everywhere else was wrecked, the survivors had no choice but to venture into the deserted building. The few zombies that were blocking the way suddenly charged at them with lightning speed. Their reflexes were nothing like that of a normal pony. Whatever infection that had caused this had made them bigger and stronger. Not to mention deadlier.

Twilight let one of the mad creatures run towards her. Then when he got close enough, she magically swung her metal piece, letting it connect with his skull with a sickening thud. In her mind she yelled, _That's for my library!_

Not surprisingly, Rainbow was hacking away at the attackers with her wooden plank. She was easily getting the hang of it, and at the time the others couldn't help but wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Pinkie Pie brought up the rear, using her makeshift torch to keep the monsters at bay. Fluttershy was in the middle of the group, staying out of the fracas while the others handled the dirty work.

They managed to force their way into the mall, charging through the doors. Once they were in, Twilight magically barricaded the doors with some shelves and racks. Once the front was secured, the four surveyed the dark corridors that surrounded them.

"Have ever seen anything like this, guys? I mean jeez, are they even allowed to be that fast?" Dash uttered bitterly, holding the plank behind her back while searching the store they had wandered into.

Unfortunately it was a clothing store, so if the group was going to find some food they'd have to venture deeper into the shopping center. But then they realized just how long the entire journey might be, and how it could take them anywhere from the freezing cold north to the humid south. There might never be a better time to get some layers on. So Twilight suggested, "Maybe we should take some clothes, huh? You never know what to expect."

Twilight supposed it was a sort of grim humor that only a zombie apocalypse would get them to step into a mall. And here they were, picking out clothes like some divas while creatures lurked just outside the doors. The trapped ponies needed to somehow block their minds from all the terror that waited outside. Before they knew it, they began to chat idly, locked inside their own little compound.

Dash popped out wearing a cowboy hat, joking, "Hey check it out guys! I'm…Applejack." She saw her friends frowning, and she said quietly, "Too soon?"

Pinkie Pie came out from one of the fitting rooms wearing a white buttoned shirt and a dark red tie. Her choice of clothing was quite…questionable, and Twilight just had to ask, "Pinkie, you do realize you got that from the stallion section, right?"

She just shrugged and replied, "So? I like the tie."

Pretty soon, the quartet was all clothed and ready to go. Twilight slid on her green jacket when Dash said, "Wow, let me tell you something._ That _is an ugly jacket."

Indignant, Twilight countered, "That's a little uncalled for, and when did you become a fashionista? Besides, you're the one wearing the tacky leather vest. And biker gloves? Really?"

Before she and Dash could go back and forth, Fluttershy timidly came up holding some bags she had scavenged. She carefully placed them on the ground, and told her friends, "I found these just in case. I suppose we should be prepared for…whatever."

The group was surprised to find the bags already filled with some items. Twilight's was supplied with bandages, a bottle of pain pills, and a small orange contraption. She flipped the cap off to reveal a small needle.

"What this for, Fluttershy?" the unicorn asked.

"I think that's adrenaline. Helps ease the pain. It'll also give a big boost of energy."

Dash remarked, "Better not give it to Pinkie then, huh?" while taking out a pair of metal paddles from her pack.

"What are these thingies?" she inquired, dangling them by their cords.

That was when Pinkie Pie blurted out, "They're defibrillators, duh! You use 'em to revive dead people. Sheesh, haven't you ever played the game before?"

Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight questioningly, but she just shrugged, feeling just as confused as her. But of course it's Pinkie Pie, so what could they expect?

Fluttershy began to carefully wrap Rainbow's wound with some bandages found with the first aid supplies. Pinkie and Twilight were amazed at how delicate Fluttershy's touch was, maneuvering the cloth around the wound like an art. Truthfully, since they had only seen her do this kind of treatment to forest creatures, the friends had no idea that she was skilled in pony treatment as well.

As Fluttershy did her routine, Dash said quietly, "How do you think this thing spreads? 'Cause if it's through bites…y'know. Then what?"

Just the thought of one of their friends turning into one of those blood-thirsty monstrosities right before their eyes made the survivors frightened. Although she would never admit it, even Rainbow Dash felt a bit anxious, especially since she was the one with the wound.

Twilight could only reply, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

The group had spent enough time in this store searching for clothes and supplies. They still had no food after all, and to get some they were going to have to go to the market on the other side. And to get _there_, they'd probably have to fight their way through another horde of creatures. Although they weren't exactly prepared for the challenge that was ahead, they felt as ready as they'd ever be. Luckily, the quartet managed to scrounge up some weapons to better suit the drastic situation. A crowbar, a metal pipe, a fire axe. Fluttershy still held nothing but the satchel, so the others couldn't help but feel a little bit worried for her.

As they gathered around the exit, they spied a poster of a stallion dressed in a red, white, and blue track suit and a cap. Frankly, Twilight thought he looked like an idiot or a clown, but apparently Dash thought otherwise.

"Oh heeeyyy! Crazy Gibbs!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Who the heck is Crazy Gibbs Jr.?" Twilight asked.

"Trust me, Twilight. In these parts, he's as famous as…the Wonderbolts. Or the princess."

"Really? Because he looks like a buck-head."

Dash glared at her lavender friend, and the look of annoyance was apparent in her eyes. She curled her lip into a pout and uttered angrily, "Get your ass moving, Twilight."

And on that note, they began to bust through the glass into the atrium. And that was their first mistake.

* * *

**What...is...up internet? So, a bit of a cliff-hanger right here. But if you've played L4D, you probably know what'll happen. I'd also like to mention that there is a copy of this story on FimFiction if you guys have an easier time reading that. So yeah...and of course, please...**

**REVIEW!**


	4. Day 1 to 2: In Case of Emergency

The group finally garnered enough confidence to head through the mall to the food court on the other side. The automatic doors were jammed shut, and the only way to get through was to break through the glass. At the time, it seemed like a fine idea. And they were so scared and desperate to find some food for the long journey ahead that they didn't stop to analyze their plan. The top priority was survival, and the quartet couldn't let their fear keep them from that goal.

"Ready?" Dash asked the others.

"Ready," they all replied simultaneously. The blue pegasus gave a small affirming nod, and she took out her fire axe. With a mighty heave, Dash swung the weapon into the windows, shattering it to pieces. At first, it was quite satisfying to take out her frustration on that glass window.

But she had just stepped out into the atrium when, suddenly, the sound of ringing bells filled the mall. And not like the regular old celebration bells, but the screeching fire alarm bells that dig into your ears like drill bits screwing into your skull. And after that came a loud cacophonous screech, just as terrible as the alarms. The survivors recognized it from back when the zombies first broke out, and their hearts immediately began to race.

"This cannot be good," Rainbow Dash uttered. That was when they spied a horde of zombies scrambling up the escalators, and even more dropping down from the floor above them.

"What do we do, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie said frantically, readying herself of the incoming onslaught.

"Somepony turn off the alarm!" was the reply.

Already up in the air, Rainbow called out, "I'm on it!" Before anypony could object, the pegasus hastily flew out into the middle of the atrium, heading for the upper floors. The rest of the group began to battle through the crowd, heading to the stairs.

But from the upper-most floor, a different kind of zombie watched the aerial pony. It was taller than the rest of the horde, and small jets of green smoke seemed to leak from its pores. But the most noticeable characteristic was a long tongue-like appendage, drooping off the ledge.

It seemed to wait there like a predator at work, letting Rainbow get closer and closer, waiting for the perfect shot. Then, once Rainbow was within range, the monster shot its tongue out like a rocket. Its accuracy was pin-point, and the appendage wrapped itself around the confident flyer's body. She only had the chance to say, "What the-?" before the tongue was pulled tight.

The sudden pull of the Smoker's tongue caused her to drop her axe into the scrambling horde below. And with her wings bound to her body by the slimy appendage, Dash began to drop like a rock.

Somehow the Smoker was strong enough to stay balanced while the pegasus swung from side to side, narrowly missing the ledges. Soon she was left dangling upside down over the hungry crowd, struggling to take in a breath. And try as she might, the Smoker would not release her from her bind.

Unfortunately, Dash was separated from her friends by a massive crowd of zombies, still riled up by the screeching alarm. Twilight saw her rainbow-maned friend become ensnared, and she tried to cut her way through the horde and find a good shot. Her time was limited, as Dash was slowly getting the life squeezed out of her.

Luckily for the pegasus, Twilight was proficient at magic. More specifically, telekinesis. She was aligned with the smoking zombie and was ready to launch her metal pipe right into his face. Unfortunately, she was already using her magic to force most of the zombies away from them. In the split-second she would use to direct her magic towards the Smoker, the monsters could rush in and attack.

"Make it quick, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie called out, keeping watch for the few zombies that permeated Twilight's magic barrier. Fluttershy also gave a nod. Although she was still reluctant to kill the beasts, the timid pegasus attempted to kick the monsters away (to some avail).

The unicorn heeded her pink friend's words. She stepped to the ledge and began to focus her magic on the weapon in her hand. The metal pipe began to quiver as force began to build up. Twilight put all of her concentration into the spell, knowing that she only had one shot. As the mob began to swallow the trio up, Twilight launched the metal pipe forward at the speed of a bullet.

Dash watched the steel projectile soar across the atrium at high velocity. Finally, with a sickening squelch, the pipe embedded itself into the Smoker's head. The zombie fell back, releasing a plume of smoke. The tongue fell limp immediately, giving the rainbow pegasus room to breathe. She began to fall into the swarming crowd below. But before she could become food for the zombies below, Dash furiously flapped her wings, halting her descent. Although the smoke was thick enough to make her hack and cough, she was able to gain her breath and see through the cloud.

Not wanting to stay in the open for another attack, Dash flew back up into the walkways. The alarm was still ringing after all, and her friends were still battling for their lives. So the pegasus zoomed through the mass of zombies, making her way to the control room. She first shut the door so that nopony could sneak up on her. Then she pulled the lever labeled "Fire Alarm". A breath of relief escaped the pegasus as the alarm quickly died down, its relentless screeching finally vanquished. There were still a few zombies left from the horde, so Rainbow went outside to finish them off, wielding a fire extinguisher. But the container wasn't for suppressing the fires that raged on the other side of the mall. For the prideful pegasus, it was time for a little payback.

Meanwhile on the lower floors, the trio stood against the railing, relieved that the alarm was off. Twilight began to head towards the escalator, saying, "I'm glad that's over with."

But from above, in the same perch the Smoker was, another pony watched. A hooded one, with strange claws. Unbenownst to Twilight, the Hunter had her right in its sights. With a mighty leap and a terrifying screech, the Hunter began to shoot towards the unicorn. Twilight only saw the Hunter for a split-second when…

_Clank!_

The Hunter's flight was intercepted by a fire extinguisher impacting against its skull. The zombie gave a tiny yelp before falling down towards its doom. The trio looked out into the atrium to find the hooded monster replaced by the grin of a rainbow-maned pegasus, swinging the weapon playfully.

"So," Rainbow began. "Can we get somethin' to eat now?"

Xxx

"You're kidding me," was her response when they stepped into the Burger Tank kitchen. "This is all that's left? This isn't going to last us the afternoon!"

The group searched the kitchen to find four veggie patties, a hoof-ful of fries, and a ketchup bottle. The rest of the restaurants were just as unsuccessful. Pretty soon, the ponies had searched every nook and cranny of the food court and looted every last bit of food they could find.

A very frustrated Rainbow Dash remarked angrily, "We fought an entire army of zombies for this?"

"Everypony must've looted the mall before us," Fluttershy said calmly.

"Well that's just great. I was looking forward to having one of those juicy, scrumptious, delectable, undeniably, unquestionably, unbelievably-."

"Okay Rainbow, we get it," Twilight said. "We'll just have to make do with what we have. Everypony's looking for food, so it's going be very hard to come by." She turned around to see Rainbow Dash biting into one of the few apples they had found. Before Dash could take another bite, Twilight levitated the apple out of her hooves and placed into Dash's pack.

The unicorn said crossly, "Rainbow, we have to save what we've got! We don't know how long it'll be until we find another food place!"

"Yeah, come on Dashie! You should listen to Twilight, she's waaaay smart!" Pinkie said. However, this was said through mouthfuls of cake. After a stern look from her friends, Pinkie smiled guiltily and put the dessert away.

"Soooo, anyway, where should we go next?" she inquired.

Twilight took some time to ponder the question. Now that they had at least some food in their satchels, she figured there was only one thing to do at the moment. "Well, let's get out of this mall. Guess there's nothing else we can really do."

So they picked up their supplies and made their way towards the exit. Most of the doors were blocked off or surrounded by zombies. But after some searching, the quartet came across a steel red door with bars over the windows. Above the doorway, the words "Safe Room" were spray painted.

The door opened into a small alcove with boards covering the windows. Some melee weapons were scattered along the floor, much to Rainbow's delight. And on the other side of the room was another steel door leading outside. The group must have been inside longer than they had thought, for the tell-tale orange streaks of light outside told them that it was dawn.

"Let's get outta here," Rainbow said, exchanging her extinguisher for a baseball bat and a wrench. "I hate malls."

The group traversed along Candescent Trail, following the railroad tracks. Along the way they passed the darkened, abandoned remains of Sweet Apple Acres. Most of the trees were stripped of their fruit, leaving no sign of the Apple family's hard labor. In fact, there was no sign of the Apple family anywhere.

Rainbow Dash was hovering above, trying to survey the farm for any signs of life. But aside from a few rambling zombies stumbling out of the barn, there was none. The pegasus gave shook her head sadly towards her friends and returned to the ground.

The quartet was deeply saddened by the last-ditch effort to find their missing friends. Fluttershy feebly said, "Maybe they're holed up inside." But even she didn't believe what she was saying.

"C'mon girls. I'm _sure_ Applejack and Rarity's okay. We just have to keep moving," Pinkie consoled.

Without another word, the quartet continued along the railroad tracks with the dark outline of Canterlot looming above the landscape.


	5. Day 2: I Hate Forests

After a good half-day of walking along Candescent Trail, the survivors found themselves standing at the entrance of the Equestria National Forest. They had long since abandoned the railroad tracks, seeing as through the track swerved twenty miles around the foliage. The group decided it would be faster to cut through the dense forest and find the railroad on the other side. This forest was much more inviting than the eerie void of the Everfree, and since it was around noon, the sun was able to shed some light.

"I'm guessing we don't have a Plan B," Rainbow uttered.

"Eeeenope," Pinkie replied, imitating Big Mac's drawl.

"Ugh. I hate forests."

"Sorry Rainbow, but the trees are too thick for you to fly through," Twilight said. "Jeez, this place is denser than your personality."

"Yeah…wait, what?"

With a snicker and a smirk, Twilight led the group into the tree line. Candescent Trail cut through the dense foliage, giving the ponies a path to follow. Taking note of the direction of Canterlot, they began their dangerous trek into the forest.

Although the sun was able to provide some illumination, the trees still provided cover for some of the infected. Commons would occasionally pop out from behind a tree trunk and assault the group. But every time they would be met with a swift attack from one of the survivors. Sometimes they would come out in groups of five or ten. But the outcome was still the same. Sure, every now and then the zombies would land a punch or a scrape on the ponies, but it was nothing they couldn't handle.

Another zombie rushed at the group, but it was met by the baseball bat of Rainbow Dash. When they saw the disembodied head flying into the bushes however, they looked away in disgust. Fluttershy gave a squeal of shock, and Twilight said, "Just keep going girls. Don't look at it."

For another hour, they moved deeper into the forest. Despite the leaves and random bodies strewn along the ground, the path was still visible. Barely trodden, but still visible. For the moment, the path seemed devoid of any zombies. And to the tired survivors, every minute of no infected was a stroke of luck.

As she placed her crowbar into her pack, Pinkie Pie said, "Remember that tongue-thingy back at the mall?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Dash replied.

"Oh nothing. I just couldn't help but think about it. I mean, have you ever seen something like that? I thought _my _tongue was long. But that thing was ginormous! "

The pegasus raised her eyebrows and said, "I can't believe that thing almost had me. Good thing Twilight's a pretty good shot."

The purple unicorn replied, "From now on nopony wanders off alone, okay? These zombies aren't anything we've ever seen before, and we don't want anypony to be strangled by another one of those…things." The friends immediately murmured their agreement. After all, the incident at the mall was enough of a warning.

After thirty minutes of trees, trees, and more trees, the ponies began to faintly make out the shape of a secluded house. Because she was growing tired of Pinkie asking, "Are we there yet?" Twilight let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps there was _some_ luck still on their side.

As they trotted towards the cabin, Rainbow noticed a few picnic tables nearby. Some still had paper plates and mugs set up, waiting for a party that was never going to come. "You're telling me people camp out here for _fun_?"

"Of course Dashie! Haven't you ever been camping before?" the pink earth pony asked, noticing the party decorations as well.

The house itself was quite dismal. The front door was blocked from the inside, and most of the windows were boarded shut. A message painted hastily on the wall said a single word, "HELP".

"Do you think we should check inside?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

But Pinkie and Rainbow were already on it, prying the windows open with a crowbar. With a resounding crack, the pieces of boards flew out while Rainbow Dash flew in. After scouting the nearby rooms for any sign of the undead, the pegasus stuck her head out and gave the all clear.

With some help from Twilight's magic, they moved the bookcase that was blocking the door and let Fluttershy and Pinkie inside. Due to the fact that the windows were mostly covered, the abandoned cabin was dim and dreary. Blood stains dotted the floor, trailing out through the back door. Frantic writing was scrawled across the kitchen, showing messages of survivors long gone.

"Headed to the train station. Kids are okay. Hope you get there safe. Love, Lyra," read Fluttershy. "Do you think that's where we should go?"

Investigating the other messages, Twilight said, "That's where everypony seems to be going. I don't see why not."

"But first things first," interrupted Rainbow. "We gotta check this place for anything handy."

So the quartet got to work, searching the place for supplies. The group started with the first floor, looking for anything that might assist them on their journey. Not surprisingly, there wasn't much left. A few pain pills here and there, a bag of chips or two. But other than that, nothing.

After searching the bathrooms without yielding any results, Dash was ready to tell her friends that there was no more to be found. But then the cyan pony's ears began to pick up on something. It was a faint sound at first, and she been so intent on her search that she hadn't noticed. It was muffled and deep, certainly something out of the ordinary.

"Do you guys hear that?"

"What?" Twilight replied.

"It's kinda like…like a gurgling sound," Dash said.

Pinkie answered, "Sorry Dashie, that's probably me. I haven't had my scheduled cupcake break yet."

"No, this is different. It sounds like it's coming from upstairs. Somepony come up with me and check it out."

Rainbow waited for one of her friends to volunteer. But instead, they just stood there looking at her awkwardly, not wanting to investigate. Fluttershy gave a small cough, slowly sneaking back into the kitchen. Finally, after a moment of glancing at the other, Pinkie pushed Twilight forward before running back into the kitchen. Before Twilight could berate her pink friend, Dash pulled her away while grumbling, "Glad to see you guys have my back."

The duo climbed upstairs, both holding their weapons ready. The noise was now louder and clearer. The sound was practically a mix of groaning and gurgling, and the combination made Twilight feel a little nauseous. Dash, however, was primed and ready for whatever was making the dreadful noise.

They realized the sound was coming from behind one of the upstairs bedroom's door. Motioning the quiet signal to Twilight, Dash slowly snuck up to the closed door. Holding the bat over her head and giving an unnecessary yell, she swung the door open.

That was when she came to face with possibly the most hideous thing she had ever seen. It was a zombie, but this one was vastly different from the common infected that strolled outside. This one's entire body was severely bloated and fat, with grotesque boil-like lumps pulsing from its skin. Even its face had the sickening growths protruding like little round mountains. And the worst part was the continuous gurgling sound it emitted from its fat mouth.

The cyan pegasus didn't get to stare at it for long, however. She swung her baseball bat, smacking one of the pulsating blobs attached to its head. Dash thought that would be the end of it. She thought the ugly thing would fall down and die like a regular zombie. But instead, the zombie went out with a boom. Literally.

The moment the Boomer was hit, it exploded into a mess of innards and green goo. Dash and Twilight were blasted back into the hallway, dazed and disoriented. At first, they were in awe at what just happened. They couldn't believe a zombie had just spontaneously exploded right before them. And now they were covered in a smelly, disgusting, green goo. Wiping her face clean of the vile substance, Dash groaned, "Aww man! That thing slimed us!"

But being drenched in the bile was the least of their worries. From outside, the screeching of an incoming horde arose from the surrounding forest. Realizing this, Dash quickly scrambled to her feet, yelling, "Twilight, get up!"

But the unicorn hit the wall hard, and struggled to get to her feet.

Sighing, Dash left her friend in the safety of the second floor and went down to Fluttershy and Pinkie. Fluttershy was pushing a bookcase into the back door as Pinkie stood by a window, watching the horde assemble. "What happened?" cried the party pony. Sniffing, she added, "And why do you smell so bad?"

Unfortunately, it didn't occur to them that the front door was left open. With a clear passage, the mob of monsters streamed in. And every single one of them had their sights trained on Rainbow Dash. She was not expecting the sudden surge of zombies coming directly at her, so she began to wildly swing her weapon. Pinkie saw this too, and tried her best to protect her friend. Meanwhile, Fluttershy squealed as the zombies outside pounded against her blockade. The mob was screaming and growling, fired up by the smell of fresh Boomer bile. They were squeezing through whatever opening they could find, craving Dash's flesh.

Lucky for the trio, the front door created a bottleneck for the zombies to cram through. A few were able to get through and land a punch or scratch on Rainbow, but most were able to be pushed away and whacked. Soon the crowd began to thin, until the horde finally stopped streaming in. It seemed as though the bile had lost its potency, and any remaining zombies lost interest. An exhausted Pinkie and Rainbow slumped down to the floor. "Note to self: Never whack those fat things ever again," Rainbow remarked, looking at the dried bile on her vest.

Then Twilight came stumbling down the stairs, recovering from a nasty bump on her head. Seeing her friends gathered on the floor covered in blood and bile, she asked warily, "What'd I miss?"


	6. Day 2: Doubt

"And that's how _Canterlot_ was made!" Pinkie finished with a flourish. She was recanting the story of the Boomer to Twilight again, much to the chagrin of the purple pegasus.

"Man, you should've gone down there and helped, Twilight! They were all going after me and stuff; totally epic!" Rainbow said. "I am never going near one of those bloated creeps again!"

The survivors found themselves in a wide ravine. Foliage still surrounded them for a good 50 yards in each direction before steep, rocky walls jutted up from the earth. They had been in the woods for a while now, as it had already gotten dark again. Slowly and steadily they were progressing towards the station, guided by signs and graffiti left by fellow survivors. A soft glow emanated from Twilight's horn, lighting up the forest just enough for the ponies to see. However, that was basically the extent of Twilight's magical abilities, because the bump on her head would cause her to get a massive headache whenever she attempted to do anything else.

There wasn't exactly much to see at the moment besides trees anyway. So they were passing the time with idle conversation. "So, about that fat looking thing…" Rainbow began.

"Are you going to make fun of the bump on my head again?" Twilight interrupted.

"No. Well, okay yes. But I also wanted to ask you something," the colorful pony replied. "I figured there are probably other zombies out there like that one. And the one with the tongue. And the one with the hood. I figure we should come up with a name for 'em. Y'know, so we can tell each other when one's coming."

"Oh! How about 'Big Scary Explody Thing'! Or maybe 'Fat Gurgling Thing!'" Pinkie said, jumping up and down.

The rational Twilight said, "How about the Boomer?"

"You're _so _creative, Twi'."

"You're lucky I don't smack you with my golf club-."

"Speaking of luck…look," Fluttershy said, pointing ahead. Twilight focused her light a little more, providing a better look at the shadows ahead. They saw railroad tracks, railcars, trailers, and the like. Across the way they spied a long wooden bridge spanning the entire ravine. They were at the train station.

The place was strewn with the remnants of an evacuation station. But unfortunately, that's all they were, remnants. The tents were torn and collapsed, tables were overturned, all of which showed signs of a hasty retreat. The only ponies left were the undead.

"This doesn't look like an evac station," Pinkie whispered.

Dash gave an exasperated sigh, saying, "Ain't that just our luck! I hate train yards."

"No worries, girls. We can still make it to Canterlot. We just have to find a way up the cliff side," Twilight decided.

Dash remained skeptical, and replied, "How are we gonna do that? You can't teleport us up there with that huge bump on your head."

"Which, by the way Fluttershy, you did a good job wrapping it up," Twilight complemented to a beaming Fluttershy.

Dash rolled her eyes and continued, "Yeah okay, whatever. Anyways… and I definitely am not carrying all of you girls with those hoodie guys leaping around the place."

Although Twilight felt ready to berate Dash for being lazy, she figured she'd spend her time trying to find another solution. And if there was one thing the intelligent unicorn was good at, it was finding solutions. She searched her surroundings, looking for any other hidden pathways up the mountain. She analyzed the rock faces, the train cars, anything that might help them climb higher. Finally, her eyes rested on the wooden bridge towering over the station.

_Well, it's a start, _Twilight thought. She shifted from the bridge back to the train cars below, and a plan began to formulate in her head.

"C'mon girls," she said, trotting excitedly towards a lone railcar.

Her friends followed, trying to keep up with their friend's quick, energetic pace. Pinkie told Rainbow, "I know that look on her face, Rainbow! Twilight's got an idea!"

"So what's the plan Twi'?" the pegasus asked.

"Well, you see that bridge? It's the only path that leads up the ravine towards Canterlot. I figured we could get up if we could make that bridge into a ramp. And, lucky for us, we've got a station full of make-shift battering rams! More specifically, that one," the purple pony replied. "Lucky for us, it's perfectly aligned. If we apply a little force, we'll send that train car off the tracks and into one of the supports. The bridge'll collapse, and we'll be able to get out of this forsaken forest."

"How will we get the train to move?" Fluttershy inquired.

"Well, it's a train station Fluttershy! There's gotta be some gas cans around here that we can set off. It doesn't need to be a huge explosion. It just needs to be enough to get the thing moving. I think I've got sufficient magic in me to contain the explosion and force it to exert more pressure onto-."

Dash interrupted, "English please, Manestein!"

"I use magicky to make _big_ _boom_ push train," Twilight answered cynically.

Fluttershy, still hesitant, began, "But won't the noise attract-."

"I'm afraid that's a risk we'll have to take."

The timid pony wasn't too keen on the prospect of fighting more monsters. She looked down at the only feasible weapon she had, a stainless steel frying pan she had picked up back at the cabin. Her trembling hooves flipped the pan back and forth, just as she had done countless times since leaving the house. She could faintly make out a blurred face in the chrome. In that image she saw many things. Fear, reluctance, panic, anxiety. It was not, however, the face of a killer.

_I can't do this,_ Fluttershy thought, wishing that the face in the pan wasn't hers. The image of her friends defending themselves from the swarming hordes filled her head. Fluttershy tried to place herself in their hooves, fighting admirably alongside her allies. But no matter how hard she tried, it always came back to this. Her, standing alone while her friends did all the work. Amidst all the darkness and chaos, she was just a defenseless pony who was not unwilling, but unable to fight back.

The others were already placing the gas cans in place behind to rail car. At least it was a bit comforting to know she had friends who could hold their own. Dash noticed Fluttershy staring uneasily at them, so she asked, "Hey 'Shy! You okay over there?"

The quiet pegasus blinked, snapping out of her trance. She replied, "Oh…yeah. I'm fine, don't worry. Is there, um, anything I can do to help?"

Twilight Sparkle answered, "Can you just pull the emergency brakes? It's time to get this thing rolling!"

Although every fiber of her being screamed, "_Don't do it. You'll all be killed!" _Fluttershy obeyed her intelligent friend's command. She pulled the emergency brake back, and it was followed by the sound of metal parts creaking apart. With the train car freed from the tracks, Twilight nodded to Dash, who was making a trail of gasoline away from the car. As her friends retreated to the safety of the train station, the pegasus pulled out a single match. She struck it on the ground, and stared at the glowing orange flame emanating from the tip. Smiling, she whispered, "And now the real fun begins."

She threw the match into the trail of gas, and raced the _hell_ out of there.

Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight watched from the entrance of the station as the gasoline erupted into flames. They spread across the dirt, coming closer and closer to the barrels of explosive substances. The containers became consumed with the burning, glowing, orange fire. Twilight's horn began to glow as a faint force-field surrounded the raging inferno, guiding it closer towards the rail car.

Rainbow had time of soar into the building, screaming, "This shit's gonna be-."

Then the sound of an explosion echoed throughout the forest, waking every monster within a mile. The sheer force of the explosion shattered the magical force field within a second, causing Twilight to cringe in pain. But that second was all it took to send the train on a crash course towards the bridge. In fact, it seemed Twilight had miscalculated just how powerful the explosion had been. For the train wasn't just rolling, it was rocketing.

There was a loud crash, complete with twisting, wrenching metal and splintering wood. There was a split second where the bridge seemed to hang there, suspended, not wanting to give up its perch on the ravine. But even behemoths must submit to gravity, and the wooden structure came crashing down.

Dust was sent up into the air, obscuring the quartet's view. Amidst the coughing and dirt, it was Pinkie who first called out, "It worked, Twilight! It worked!"

As the dust cleared, Dash looked at the ruined bridge forming a perfect ramp up the ravine. She excitedly cried, "Twilight, this has to be the best plan you've ever created!"

But then came the screeching. She turned back to the site of the explosion to see countless numbers of zombies pouring out of the tree line. It was as through the entire forest was in a frenzy, attracted by the thunderous crash. Suddenly fearing for her life, the rainbow pegasus cried, "This is the worst idea ever!"

"Everypony up the ramp!" Twilight shouted, thinking quickly. On command, the group rushed towards the makeshift ramp, trying to outrun the horde. Not wanting to look back, they scrambled up the bridge. To their horror, they saw the monsters climbing up the opposite cliff side, waiting for them to reach the end.

"We're gonna have to charge through them!" Twilight yelled. Swinging their melee weapons wildly, the ponies bashed through the waiting barricade.

Dash, who was now in the air, said, "Hey girls, I can see one of those safe rooms up ahead! Let's go!"

They were at a full gallop with the zombie horde in pursuit. Adrenaline flooded their bodies as they willed their legs to pump harder and faster. The safe room was in their sights, and yet much like their run into the Everfree, safety was still so far away.

Fluttershy lagged behind the group, managing to match the quick tempo of her friends. However, she could hear the incessant shouting of the horde close behind her, and she began to pant not just out of exhaustion, but also fear. In her panic, she looked back. Her eyes widened as she saw a particular zombie, pouncing towards her with a hood pulled tight over its head. It was far ahead of the rest of the pack, and it was headed straight for her.

_Oh no no no. Please no!, _she thought. But then came the Hunter's ear-splitting scream as it gave one final bound. With the zombie zooming at her, Fluttershy could only close her eyes and squeal, waiting for the impact.

But the impact never came. She opened her eyes to see Dash wrestling the zombie out of the air. She bashed its head once with her wrench, then threw its limp body down while yelling, "Stay the hell away from my friend you hooded buckhead!"

The cyan pegasus then took Fluttershy's hoof, saying, "Don't worry 'Shy, I got your back. Keep going!"

The duo rushed towards the safe room, where Twilight and Pinkie were waiting. The moment they passed through the door, Pinkie slammed it shut and Twilight blocked it with whatever crates she could find. For a few minutes, the zombies crowded the steel door, scratching and pounding. But soon the sounds began to die down, and the forest was quiet once again.

Fluttershy sat on her haunches, trying to replay the last few minutes in her head. Once she found her voice, she told Dash, "Th-thank you, Rainbow."

With a soft grin, Dash replied, "No prob, Fluttershy. I'm sure you'd do the same."

Although Fluttershy nodded timidly, no amount of smiles could extinguish her doubt.


	7. Day 3: Homecoming

Twilight woke up to see the light rays of morning shining through the safe-room's barred door. Pinkie Pie was awake, keeping a steady eye on the entrance.

Stretching, Twilight asked, "Anything interesting last night?"

For some reason, Pinkie didn't answer, continuing to stare out of the door. Twilight found this odd, even for Pinkie. So she asked questioningly, "Pinkie?"

Upon this, the party pony shook her head, snapping out her brief trance. Her face immediately broke into a wide grin and she said cheerfully, "Oh! Good morning Twilight! I hope you girls slept well. As for me, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary!"

Seeing that her friend was back to her hyper self, Twilight turned around to see Fluttershy slowly rising from her slumber. Next to her was Rainbow Dash, who was still curled up nice and cozy. "Wake up Rainbow. Um, wake up please. Wake up?" Fluttershy cooed. But the lazy pegasus's eyes were still closed, and she was still snoozing gently.

Seeing one of the few opportunities to joke around, Twilight took Fluttershy's pan and began to bash it with her own club, shouting, "RAINBOW DASH! Get your lazy butt UP!"

Dash was to groan, annoyed and cranky. Without opening her eyes, she waved her hooves angrily and muttered, "C'mon Twi', it's way too early!"

"Well, if we're going to reach Canterlot by noon, we're going to have to leave soon! So come on, everyone else is up!"

Huffing, Dash sat herself up, rubbed her eyes, yawned, and basically made a big show about getting up. She gave Fluttershy a friendly punch and said, "Morning Fluttershy. How's it going?"

"Oh fine," the shy pegasus replied, taking out a small biscuit to eat. However, she had failed to tell her friends of the nightmares she had last night. Of the zombies' screams echoing until she couldn't even tell whether she was asleep or not. it was all kept hidden underneath. And she did a good job too, chewing on her food while her friends planned their next course.

After they all finished snacking, Twilight dusted her hooves and said, "Let's start moving, shall we? The trail looks pretty clear for now. Maybe we'll get to Canterlot without a hitch!"

Slinging their satchels over her back, an unconvinced Dash replied, "Fat chance."

"Oh Dashie, look on the bright side! We're still alive aren't we?" Pinkie answered optimistically.

"I prefer not to keep my hopes up. That way, if we survive, I'll be satisfied."

Xxx

Dash, for the most part, was wrong. The quartet managed to get to Canterlot without a hitch. The trail was easygoing. Every so often a zombie would pop out and attack, but it was nothing the group couldn't handle. But then the shining gates of Canterlot came into view, seeming to rise up from the ground. And that was when things went wrong.

It began when Dash spotted a sign. She read grimly, "Canterlot: Population…Dead." She looked back to her friends questioningly. They hoped that somehow people had survived, and that the sign was wrong. With just a small glimmer of hope, they pressed on. However, once they reached the formerly shimmering city, the hope was gone.

They stood where the grand arch used to, but now it was just another pile of rubble. The mystical waterfalls surrounding the town seemed to have lost its luster, and the rivers were littered with bodies of the dead. Broken spires loomed in the cloudy sky, some alight with flames. Numerous graffiti messages were sprayed all over the city walls, all of which shared the same general message, "Get out."

All of it was too much for Twilight. Before her was her hometown, a once-glorious jewel now transformed into a dismal wasteland. It took all her strength just to keep from collapsing from grief. A single tear began to form on her eyelid, but she quickly wiped it off before her friends could see.

"This place is worse than when those Changelings wrecked the place," Dash whispered.

Still looking at the destroyed arch, Pinkie said quietly, "What do you think we should do now, girls?"

For a minute, nopony responded, still taking in the enormity of the destruction before them. Fluttershy tried to keep herself from staring into the bloodied river, while Rainbow couldn't stop reading the horrific messages.

Finally, it was Twilight who broke the silence. She pulled out her club and ordered sullenly, "Well, we didn't hike all the way here for nothing. Come on, let's scavenge the place." With no other option, the group followed Twilight's lead. But for the lavender unicorn, it wasn't just about scavenging for supplies. It was to provide closure, to take one last trip down memory lane. So that she wouldn't have to live wondering if any of her loved ones were still trapped inside this hellhole.

However, there was so much chaos and destruction, it seemed as though no one could have survived. Random foes wandered the cobblestone streets aimlessly, easily dispatched by the quartet. Atop some buildings in the distance, they could see the shapes of Smokers and Hunters watching the streets below. Every time the group turned a corner hoping to find some vestige of hope, they'd only be met with yet another street in disrepair.

Finally, after aimlessly walking the abandoned streets, the survivors came up on an unmistakable sight. The carefully carved cobblestone walls, the tall towers standing over them like sentries. It was an architectural marvel, the very symbol of Canterlot itself. It was Canterlot Castle. However, in this apocalypse, the castle was no different than any of the other buildings in Canterlot. Abandoned and overrun.

The drawbridge was already lowered, as if from a last-ditch attempt to escape the fortress. Twilight had another plan in mind, saying, "Let's go inside, girls. We'll close the bridge so nopony can get in."

"But the place looks pretty…iffy," Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight looked around at the dark palace. It all seemed so familiar, and yet at the same time it was like she was in a different world. Memories of the past immediately came flowing back. Twilight began to imagine the way the castle seemed to shine whenever she came in. This wasn't the homely castle she had spent all her life in. This was a stone cold prison, a place where ponies came to die.

"So it's true," she whispered. "Everypony's gone."

"Oh Twilight. I'm so sorry, I really don't know what to say," Fluttershy consoled.

"Hey, on the positive side, we've still got…um…give me a second," Pinkie said as she leaned back on a suit of armor. To her surprise, the arm clicked down, and mechanical sounds began to whirr from behind the wall. "What did you do Pinkie?" Twilight scolded.

"I swear, I didn't do anything!" the party pony replied, sticking her hooves up in the air innocently. There was another click behind her, and a hidden panel began to slide back. Curious, Dash ventured into the secret room. Once inside, she couldn't hide her shock at the contents.

Guns. Lots of them. Ranging from simple pistols to automatic shotguns to assault rifles. They were all there, stashed inside a tiny little compartment. And to Rainbow Dash, these weapons were an absolute god-send.

"Whoa, this must be the Royal Guards' secret armory!" she cried in wonder. "I haven't fired one of these babies since Air Force Academy."

Twilight stepped inside, and remarked half-confused and half-amazed, "I thought guns were outlawed years ago."

"Yeah, well the army still keeps a stash of 'em just in case of some violent uprising," Dash answered, marveling at the weapons.

"Or in our case, a zombie apocalypse."

Everypony was inside the room now, taking a look at the guns hanging on the walls. Dash was already pulling them off the shelves, getting used to the feeling of having one in her hooves once again.

However, after seeing Rainbow playfully posing with a pistol, Fluttershy stepped back from the racks and muttered, "But…but, I can't…"

Dash told her, "I don't worry, Fluttershy. I'll teach you. I've even got this technique where you can fire accurately while running-."

But the yellow pegasus shook her head and said, "No, I mean…the ponies, I can't shoot them."

Twilight went up to the timid pegasus and pleaded, "Please Fluttershy? I know how you feel right now, and trust me, killing these ponies aren't any fun. But it would make us feel better if you just carried around one weapon. Please? Just this revolver."

Although she was utterly opposed to using the weapon, Fluttershy couldn't turn down the sincere worry printed on Twilight's face. With a reluctant nod, the pegasus hesitantly took the revolver, along with a few bullets.

After stuffing her satchel full of shells, Dash snagged an auto-shotgun off the shelves. Cocking it, she remarked, "Those creeps think they're sick now, wait 'til they get a taste of this."

"We're only taking what we need. Save it for other survivors," Twilight said.

"Hmph. Says the one taking the heavy-duty M-16 rifle."

Once they had all taken their own weapons, the quartet exited the weapons room to go survey the castle more. It was out in the main hall when something outside caught their attention. It was very faint, like the steady drum of wings. At the moment it was far away, but the humming seemed to be getting closer and closer. One thing ran through their minds at that moment: _Rescue!_

Noticing a set of spiral stairs leading up to the parapet walls, Twilight called out, "C'mon girls! We have to hurry, or else they might pass over us!"

The climb was quite rigorous and long, but the quartet kept pushing on. "Why would anyone put evac up 30 flights of stairs?" Pinkie questioned, panting.

Dash, who was easily gliding up the staircase, said with a smirk, "Come on, Pinkie. Maybe the evac's…maybe they're made of chocolate. Heh, heh."

Finally, they reached the top of the castle walls, the orange sun beginning to droop over the mountains once again. Their eyes scanned the horizon and, sure enough, there were tiny black dots soaring high above the ground. The dots began to move closer to Canterlot, and soon the group was able to make out the shape of the Royal Guards against the setting sun. They were dressed in their tell-tale shining armor, and they had large bags dangling off their side. The quartet began calling out to the faraway pegasi, trying to grab their attention. Rescue was in their grasp, safety was coming. Or so they thought.

Then the bombs began dropping.

It began on the opposite side of the city. The stallions flying above opened their packages, releasing large black capsules. As they fell, they gave off a sharp whistling sound, attracting some of the monsters towards the area. The capsules hit the buildings, exploding, demolishing the once proud structures. The flames rose high into the air for a moment, then the buildings began to crumble down. The ponies could only watch in horror as the pride of Equestria began to go up in flames. And with that, their chance of rescue.

The Royal Guards began to fly in the direction of the castle. Seeing this, Rainbow Dash yelled, "What the hay are they doing?"

She hastily took off to the top of the watch tower while Twilight yelled, "Dash, stop!"

But the cyan pegasus was already perched at the top, waving her hooves wildly, shouting, "Hey, we're down here! There are survivors, stop the raid!" The pegasi swooped in closer, and Rainbow could easily make out the white stallions' features.

She could have sworn one of the guards looked straight at her. She could have sworn she saw his cold, blue eyes staring back. But that was just it. There was no sympathy, no emotion. Their glare told Dash stolidly, "_We're following orders." _

But her eyes were soon diverted to the capsules being released, zooming straight for the tower she was standing on. Dash tried desperately to leap off, but it was already too late. The bombs impacted on the side of the tower, sending rubble and shrapnel towards her body. The heat of the explosion steamed her side, and the force sent her flying over the edge.

The pegasus was still conscious, and she made an effort to spread her wings. But when she tried, a jolt of pain ran through her body, making her scream.

Twilight screamed, "NO!" She acted quickly, channeling all her power into making another force field, hoping that she could somehow cushion her falling friend. Rainbow hit it, causing the magic to shatter and Twilight to cringe once again. But it was enough to slow the rainbow pegasus, and keep her from hitting the cobblestone. However, there was no amount of magic that could stop Rainbow from writhing in pain.

Her friends immediately rushed to the injured pony's aid. Rainbow was on her back, clutching her left wing while yelling, "Those buckheads! What the hell!"

Pinkie and Fluttershy helped her to her hooves, while Twilight attempted to recover from the scare. Luckily, it seemed no damage was done to Dash's legs, and she was able to stand on her own. But when she tried to open her wings, another wave of agony made her cry in pain. The appendage was a mangled, crooked mess. And when she saw this useless thing attached to _her_ side, Rainbow sunk down in despair.

Fluttershy tried to calm Dash down, saying, "Please, you're in no shape to move. I'll fix you. Or at least…lessen the pain."

The cyan pegasus sat on her haunches, complaining, "Those assholes freaking bombed me! God, my wing hurts like hell!"

"Do you think they saw you?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh they saw me alright! I swear one of them looked straight at me!" She tried to catch a glimpse of the fleeing guards, but it was too late. They had already left Canterlot to burn by itself.

"Well why would they try to bomb the city?" Fluttershy questioned, taking out some of her bandages.

Rainbow, completely enraged from the raid, answered fiercely, "It was Princess Celestia! She must've ordered these attacks! And after everything we did…"

Twilight piped up to defend her teacher, interrupting, "But that can't be Rainbow! My brother, Cadence…none of them would ever do this. It's…it's this zombie apocalypse. She must've done this to stop the infection from spreading."

"Might as well bomb the rest of the world while you're at it!" Rainbow said. Looking out at the smoking, destroyed ruins of Canterlot, she added quietly, "This place is dead, Twilight."

Pinkie Pie, once again unknowing of their next destination, turned to Twilight and asked, "Where do we go now?"

For the first time in forever, Twilight Sparkle couldn't find an answer.


	8. Day 4: Better Safe Than

Dash sat flinching as Fluttershy began to work on her damaged wing. At first the pain was unbearable, searing into her side like the bomb she had narrowly escaped. But after some time and some excellent work by Fluttershy, the pain slowly began to subside. Once Fluttershy was done, Dash stood up, testing the broken wing. Although there was still some discomfort, she felt much better.

"Thanks 'Shy," Rainbow said.

"Of course Rainbow. The good news is that it appears your wing will fully heal," Fluttershy began. "But, um, there's a bit of bad news. I'm afraid this is…a little worse than when you broke your wing before. And, um, it's going to be a few weeks before-."

"A few weeks!" Dash exclaimed in disbelief. "Might as well be a few months, or a few years!"

"It's not _so_ bad."

Pinkie piped up, saying, "Yeah, and this chow's hoof-licking-."

"Don't start _that_ up again," Twilight interrupted. She was busy trying to think of some plan to get them away from the zombie outbreak. But at this time, she was drawing a blank. Although she didn't want to admit it, things were looking grim.

Pinkie was failing to realize just how morbid the situation was, and tried to cheering Dash up, saying, "You just have to look on the bright side of things, that's all. For example, that bite on your leg's looking better!"

"I guess…I guess I'm not turning into one of those things," Rainbow grunted.

"That's the spirit!"

While the two were conversing, Fluttershy went up to Twilight, worried. Fluttershy was also feeling distressful after seeing Rainbow Dash nearly die at the hands of the Royal Guard. Combined with the fact that they were all going to die anyway if they didn't move soon, the yellow pegasus's anxiety was building.

She asked nervously, "Have you figured out anything Twilight?"

The unicorn replied sadly, "I wish I could say yes, but I'm afraid I don't know where else we can go. Basically, all I know is that we need to get out of Canterlot. Maybe then we can figure out something." Fluttershy nodded, and decided take a rest alongside her comrades. Although it wasn't much of a plan, it was better than having no plan at all.

And frankly, it was all they got.

Xxx

"I think we've wasted enough time!" Twilight scolded.

"Oh come on! What's a few more minutes going to do?" Dash replied, taking a bite out of a biscuit.

"It's already midnight, Rainbow. We let the light slip away!"

"Alright, alright, let's go then. Sheesh."

The quartet was standing next to the drawbridge, awaiting Twilight's orders. They all had their new weapons primed and ready for whatever waited for them. Even Fluttershy had her revolver out, even though she was holding it loosely and nervously.

Rainbow was standing by the winch, one hoof on the wheel and the other holding her shotgun over her head. She remarked, "Oh yeah, it's time to destroy those undead freaks!"

"Conserve ammo. Use your melee weapons as much as you can. And remember, stick together." Twilight warned.

But Rainbow just shrugged arrogantly and said, "And Rule 3…"

She spun the winch, letting the drawbridge topple over. With a smash, the platform impacted loudly against the hard cobblestone. When the dust settled, there was a crowd to zombies waiting for them, ready to eat their flesh.

But Dash grinned and finished, "Kill all sons-a-bitches! That's my official instructions! Whoo hoo!" She charged across the bridge as though her injuries were nonexistent. With a defiant look plastered on her face, she began to blast the monsters left and right. Bodies fell to the ground as Rainbow pumped loads of shells into every enemy that showed its ugly face. Realizing her friends were still standing at the castle's entrance, struck dumb by Dash's one-pony army attack, she called out, "C'mon girls, you were the ones who said we were in a hurry!"

With that, the others slowly followed Rainbow Dash's lead. Their guns were raised as though they were ready to fight, but for now they were just spectators to the Rainbow Show. The bright flashes of the gun's muzzle punctuated the bleak night while Rainbow pranced around the attacking horde. It was quite too easy for the athletic pegasus; the monsters (and her friends) couldn't keep up. And it seemed as though she loved every minute of it.

Finally, the commotion died down, not because she was tired, but because she was running out of zombies to shoot. Most of the creatures had seemingly retreated deeper into the shadows, the night covering their tracks. Rainbow stood in the middle of a run-down street, letting her smoking gun hang from her hooves. Her friends managed to catch up to her, their eyes wide from the supreme amount of awesomeness they had just witnessed. With a final shot, Dash bravely called out, "C'mon guys, I haven't even broken a sweat!"

Seizing the reins once again, Twilight moved back to the head of the group, but not before telling Rainbow, "Don't _ever_ do that again."

Twilight wasn't the only one surprised by the attack. In fact, it was Fluttershy who was taken aback more than anypony. And she wasn't sure whether it was from Rainbow killing so many, or the fact that she did it so…easily. So nonchalantly. So bravely.

Fluttershy listened as Pinkie Pie chirped, "Wow Rainbow, that was sooo cool!"

There must have been something she could do. There had to be.

Xxx

Despite Rainbow's…impressive display of fighting prowess, it still didn't give the ponies any idea of where to go next. For another two hours, the quartet wandered through the dim city with only the moonlight to illuminate their path. As they glanced up at the sky, they noticed just how bleak it was, there was not a star to be found. It was as if those glimmering jewels had also tried to escape from the massacres down below.

They stopped at the remains of a fancy restaurant to see what supplies were hidden inside. Most of the chairs and tables were toppled over, and the place smelled of spoiled food. "Ew, this place reeks!" cried Pinkie Pie. "Twilight, what are you doing? That stuff's gross!"

Twilight was lost in her thoughts however, examining all that remained in the eatery. She soon came upon the refrigerator. Curious, she swung the steel door open, brandishing her gun. That was when she was blasted not with a cool chill, but the stench of decay. For in the small compartment was the body of a dead chef, already rotting.

"This can't be right," Twilight said. "It would take days for this to happen. How long has this thing been going on?"

Dash replied sarcastically, "Oh, what a surprise! The princesses are keeping secrets from us? I _never _would have guessed." After swallowing some pain pills for her wing, she continued, "I swear, they're probably only looking out for themselves. Where do they get the time to raise the moon and the sun anyway, huh? They can do that, but they can't save the lives of their own people!"

"Stop it Rainbow! I'm sure they're trying to escape just like us! So get your ass moving!" Twilight answered fiercely.

Then she stormed out of the restaurant with a trailing Rainbow mumbling, "Sorry…I guess. Hey Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, you girls coming?"

The two were still staring at the corpse in the refrigerator. Pinkie was the first to break out of her trance; she put on a grin and said, "Coming!" And Fluttershy, after giving the body one last unsteady glance, silently followed her bouncing friend.

They didn't walk for long, however. Soon they noticed a small trail leading to the edge of the city. At the beginning was a sign that read "The Church of the Sun". Far ahead, they could see a small chapel with Celestia's sun cutie mark inscribed on the roof. But more importantly, they noticed the lights were still on.

"It looks like somepony's still alive in there," Pinkie said. The four ponies began to trot carefully towards the humble chapel, ready to take a close look. Along the way they passed a graveyard, stepping over headstones and plaques inscribed with the names of the deceased.

"They've got it easy," Rainbow whispered. And nopony disagreed.

A few infected were rambling around the church, but they were easily dispatched by the quartet. Finally they reached the church, and they entered through a big gaping hole in one of the side walls. They noticed that the chapel was stockpiled for an attack, with gas cans, ammo piles, and melee weapons scattered about. There was also a safe room, and they could see the lights were on inside. Twilight was fascinated with a grand piano located in the corner, and she pressed down some of the keys from curiosity, letting out a few beautiful notes untarnished by the apocalypse.

That was when a voice emanated from inside the safe room. It was the voice of a stallion, and he spoke nervously, almost frantically. He said, "What was that? Who's there? I've got a bell in here."

Twilight was ready to answer when Dash stepped forward and replied, "I got this…Ahem, open up, we're cops!"

But the stranger screamed, "No! No one gets in! I can't believe it, I can't believe he bit me. Better safe than sorry, better safe than sorry, better safe than sorry…"

"We've got wounded mister and…there's zombies out here, open the freakin' door!" Rainbow answered back. She shrugged, and then she began to pound on the door, saying angrily, "Listen candy pants, I will MAKE you-."

"You think you're special with your…with your leather jackets and your fancy blood?"

"What?" Fluttershy said.

Seeing as though the situation was getting out of hand, Twilight muttered to Dash, "I don't think it's working, Rainbow. I think we should leave."

But the church pony continued to talk, shouting, "I'm not letting you in until I know you're not infected!"

"This guy's nuttier than a candy bar!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

With a final chuckle, the stranger cried frantically, "Oh yeah? It least I'm not _dead_!"

Suddenly, the deep sound of bells resonated from atop the church. The survivors were forced to cover their ears from the sheer volume of the ringing, along with the Crazy Church Pony screaming, "Ding dong! Ding dong!"

Over the loud ringing came the cry of an incoming horde. From the massive hole Pinkie could see the infected scrambling up the trail towards the chapel. Grabbing a few gas cans, she cried, "If we live, I am _so_ going to get that guy!"

The infected wasted no time rushing towards the lonely chapel on the hill. Even though the zombies were on their way, the deep ringing never stopped. The Church Pony wanted the survivors dead.

The four dug themselves in, standing at the biggest entryway possible, the gaping hole in the wall. "Pinkie, get back here!" yelled Twilight, aware of the horde coming closer and closer.

Pinkie positioned the last gas can and replied, "Coming!"

With the horde barely on her tail, the party pony galloped back to the chapel, bouncing through while saying, "Shoot the gas cans! Shoot them!"

Obeying Pinkie's command (excluding Fluttershy of course), they all opened fire on the red containers on the ground. They burst open, and flames spilled across the ground, engulfing all the zombies in its path. The wall of fire protected the front of the church, leaving the four to worry about the infected coming in through the windows.

The quartet systematically began to pick off the zombies breaking in through the boarded windows as the fire continued to rage on outside. Rainbow stood atop the piano, blasting her shotgun into the crowd. Twilight, although suffering some minor scratches, was able to hold her own while atop one of the pews. And Pinkie and Fluttershy found refuge by the altar, also doing their best to avoid the zombies' attacks. A few Smokers and Hunters were spotted, but the four were able to kill them before they ever got too close.

Outside, the gasoline fire was beginning to die down. But the sound of the church bells still continued, as did the horde. Dash, who was busy reloading her gun while kicking a few monsters back, cried, "Doesn't this guy ever get tired?" For a while, it didn't seem like it. The horde was still attacking relentlessly, and the quartet was consuming ammo quickly. Soon they were forced to take out their melee weapons to conserve ammunition. It became a frenzy of baseball bats and wrenches and bodies falling to the ground.

Then finally, the bells ceased their violent ringing.

Once the horde began to dissipate, Twilight gathered her friends next to the safe room door. She gave them time to gather themselves, regain their breath, and reload their gun. Then she said, "Pinkie and I will go see if there's another way inside. Rainbow, you and Fluttershy try to knock some sense into that guy." Then she and Pinkie when off, leaving the other two to deal with the insane stallion.

"Sheesh, why is everypony besides us either zombies or assholes?" Rainbow remarked, pumping her shotgun. She was ready to knock on the door when she noticed the sound of coughing coming from inside. She asked, "Hey buddy, you okay in there?"

She gave the door a slight push and was surprised to see it creak open just a bit. Taking out her baseball bat, she said angrily, "Oh, you are gonna get it you crazy mule."

She busted the door open and was ready to come face to face with the Crazy Church Pony. But when she charged in inside, there wasn't some insane stallion waiting for her. Instead it was the face of a Smoker. And the zombie didn't waste any time snaring her in its awful grasp.

She fought to break free from the Smoker's tongue, but every time she struggled the tongue seemed to pull even tighter. Losing her weapon in the struggle, Dash managed to call out, "Fluttershy!" before the zombie began to constrict her.

Fluttershy rushed inside to find her friend getting the life squeezed out of her by some grotesque monster. And worse, only she could save her. Basically, it was the yellow pegasus's worst nightmare.

Fluttershy began to panic, the sound of the Smoker and her choking friend filling the church. Rainbow's constant cries for help seemed to intensify, bouncing off the walls of Fluttershy's clouded mind. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. The timid pony raised her revolver, her eyes closed, her hooves trembling violently.

Then she pulled the trigger.

The power of the revolver sent her falling backward onto her bottom. She felt a shower of blood come down on her face, and she immediately thought, "_Oh Rainbow, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"_ She felt herself get snagged in the grasp of some unknown being. At first, Fluttershy thought it was the Smoker, taking her in as its next victim. Terror took over every bone in her body, and she began to scream. She tried to wriggle free, but her failed attempts only made her scream even more.

Then she heard, "Fluttershy, stop! It's me, it's me!"

The frantic pony opened her eyes, only to see the messy rainbow mane filling her vision. It was Rainbow Dash, who had taken her friend in a tight embrace, trying to calm her. The cyan pegasus said, "It's alright 'Shy, we're fine. We're both going to be fine. You did great."

For a moment Fluttershy was able to calm herself, feeling the friendly warmth of Dash's hug. "Just don't look at it, Fluttershy. Just look at me," Rainbow warned. But it was too late. Fluttershy had already seen a glimpse of the grisly scene behind them. The blood splattered on the walls. The remains of the Church Pony/Smoker lying on the floor, its head completely blown away. The embrace wasn't just to relieve the timid pony, but to shield her from the murder she had just committed. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked.

Wrapped in the hooves of her brave childhood friend, Fluttershy began to sob, cursing whatever divine being had done this to her.


	9. Interlude 1: Can't Help But Worry

_We heard the gunshot, and we immediately rushed back inside. When Pinkie and I got back, we saw them just…laying there. We could see the corpse of the Church Pony in the Safe Room, where the walls were painted with his blood. Fluttershy was quietly sobbing, wrapped in Rainbow's hooves. Frankly, it was…it was heart-breaking, you know? It gave us a reminder of the toll this whole ordeal has put on us. It put things into perspective, and showed just how bad things were._

_Oh, by the way, sorry for interrupting. It's me, Twilight. Rainbow's here too to help me out. Pinkie and Fluttershy went down to check on the barricades and cook some food. So for now, it's just us._

_**What's up guys?**_

_We felt as though certain things…they can't be explained with a simple story. So that's why we're here, to provide some…commentary. So, where was I? Oh yes. So Fluttershy and Rainbow were just sitting at the entrance, huddled together._

_**I didn't know what to do really. I just felt so bad for her, y'know? I'm not gonna lie, I'm not exactly the best with comforting people. But seeing Fluttershy like that…it was something I hadn't seen before. I've known her for years, and I have never seen her so…vulnerable. I had to do something. And I was afraid that, if I let go, she was going to go under.**_

_So we all came together in a group hug, comforting not only her, but each other as well. For a while, the four of us stayed there. I guess for a while, it was as if all the troubles around us were blocked off; vanished. It didn't matter where we were, because we were with each other._

_**Pretty sappy, Twi'.**_

_But you know it's true, Rainbow._

_**Heh. I guess so. And I definitely would've rather stayed like that than have to go face more zombies. But, unfortunately, we couldn't stay there forever. We had to go inside the safe house. Fluttershy was still pretty scared, so I led her inside, covering her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the blood. There was a ladder leading up to the upper storage room. She climbed up first, then me, then Pinkie. I heard the slam of the metal door, and then Twilight came up.**_

_**Let me just say that something was definitely wrong with that stallion. The walls had hundreds of scribbles, and they all said "Better safe than sorry". Truthfully, I felt a little sorry for the guy. Yeah, he did try to kill us (which was totally uncalled for), but it was because this whole zombie infection made him like that. He was probably a normal pony just like us. And after seeing Fluttershy curl up in the corner, shaking from fear and trying to sleep, I was worried that she was going to become like him. And if not her, then us.**_

_Whoa, the big bad Rainbow Dash was scared of something?_

_**Not scared. Just…anxious. It was pretty hard not to be, especially since Canterlot was a huge bust. **_

_At the time, we still didn't even have plan. We were just surviving for as long as we could, hoping that we'd find something. Basically, all we had was guns and buns. And I didn't even rhyme 'em on purpose._

_**Our "dinner" was basically pain pills and a piece of cupcake. Pretty scrumptious, huh? So anyway, Fluttershy was already asleep. But it wasn't sleeping, more like taking a break from one nightmare to go to another. She was tossing around, mumbling something. **_

_We were so worried, and at times we were tempted to wake her up. But which was worse, leaving her in her dreams or taking her back to reality? We didn't know._

_**And surprisingly, Pinkie was asleep too. And although it wasn't as obvious as Fluttershy's, she was twitching a bit too.**_

_It didn't seem like a problem at the time, especially with Fluttershy next to her. So for a while, it was just me and Rainbow awake. And don't think we chose to stay awake either. Our fear just wouldn't let us._

_And for almost equally as long, we didn't say anything to each other. That's right, we didn't even give some kind of sarcastic remark about the other. That's how scared we were. When we did talk, it went like this:_

"_I'm worried."_

"_No shit."_

"_I'm being serious, Rainbow."_

"_So am I."_

"_Well…fine."_

"_Fine."_

_Pretty good conversation, no?_

_**I'll be honest with you Twilight, I was pretty frustrated. You probably were too. Our plans were blown up right in front of our eyes, literally and figuratively. And those buckheads bombed my wing, which is **__**still**__** broken by the way. Finally, I just couldn't hold it anymore. I took the cupcake in my hoof and tried to hurl across the room.**_

_Apparently, somepony can't throw to save her life. And the cupcake, instead of hitting a wall, hit my face._

_**Man, Twilight looked freakin' hilarious. Frosting was all caught in the bandages on her head, and I just couldn't stop laughing. I guess I laughed I little too loud. 'Cause that was when Fluttershy woke up.**_

_**And it was for just a moment. In just the second that she opened her eyes, I could see something. Something glimmering in her eyes, completely changed from the way she was a few hours ago. Hope. At first I thought she was still dreaming, imagining she was back home at her cottage. Now I realize it wasn't because of that. It was because she saw **__**us**__**. It was us, Twilight. You covered in frosting, me laughing my wings off, it was a lot like we were back at Ponyville.**_

_**But then…she realized what was going on outside. And…the hope, it vanished. But instead of fear returning, there was something much worse. Nothing. Her face was wiped clean of any emotion. She just sat back, and went back to sleep without even saying a word. I don't know what happened in those dreams of hers, but…okay Twilight I admit it, I was freakin' scared.**_

_And you weren't the only one. Fluttershy…she wasn't exactly in the best shape. Neither were we._

_**That was about the time when I asked, "Twilight, do you really think there's someplace safe out there?" There was a pause, and then you said…what was it you said again?**_

_So I looked at Pinkie and Fluttershy, and then I said, "Well of course, Rainbow. I __have__ to. Otherwise, what's the point of fighting if you've got nothing to fight for?"_

_**Hey, you really know how to make a pony feel better, Twilight.**_

_Heh, no shit._


	10. Day 4 to 5: Will to Survive

Morning was advancing towards the small chapel of the sun. Fluttershy was squatted by the safe room door, watching as the darkness cleared away from the sky and sunlight poured in. Holding her breath, she cocked a fearful ear to try to find the sounds of the dawn. But the tweeting of the birds she was so used to greeting every morning was absent. Instead, the orange sun brought only more silence to compound her already dismal night.

Twilight was turned away from the yellow pegasus, her hooves clopping across the wooden floor. Her lips were pursed in such a way that it seemed she was in perpetual contemplation. And she was, her worries replacing her precious sleep.

She and Rainbow Dash had a very late night. Dash, unlike her scholarly friend, managed to get a quick nap. Now, as the sun poked its dreary head up, so did she. Her first attempt to stand ended with her wincing from the pain in her wing. Her second try was much more successful, and she was able to find her footing. She too had dreams that night, but compared to the land of horrors outside, they were not worth remembering.

Cricking her neck, releasing tension she wasn't even aware of, Rainbow nudged a pink figure next to her while mumbling, "Yo Pinkie. Wake up!"

Pinkie mumbled something back, a noticeable grimace curling her lips. Paying no mind, Dash nudged her again and said, "C'mon Pinkie, I'm the one who's supposed to sleep in, remember?"

The pink mare's hazy eyes opened. She seemed confused for a moment, trying to focus on the spectrum of color that stood before her. After a few seconds, Pinkie broke into her signature hyperactive grin and said, "Oh, morning Dashie! Hope you slept well!"

"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow uttered, automatically grabbing her shotgun. First the cyan pegasus turned towards Fluttershy. Her eyebrows cocked in absolute worry, and she said, "How're you feeling Flutters?"

"Fine," was the only answer that she got. Not sure of what to say next, Dash turned towards Twilight. The purple unicorn wore a satisfied grin, and she walked with a sort of relieved gait unlike the one she had seen yesterday. "Somepony looks happy. Have you…come up with something?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Twilight started. She held a piece of paper in her hooves. Gathering the group together, she spread the paper out to reveal a small map of the surrounding area. On it were identifiable structures: Canterlot, Cloudsdale, The National Forest. All of which had red Xs crossed through them. Ponyville was also on the map, one of the few places circled.

"I found this downstairs in one of the cabinets," she said, not mentioning the corpse that still lay at the bottom of the ladder. "As you can see, it's got evacuation sites all over our immediate area. As we know, Ponyville had already been overrun by the infection. So that leaves this as our last hope."

Her hoof pointed towards a picture of a glowing Ferris wheel surrounded by a bright red circle. "Whistling Maple Amusement Park?" Dash asked.

"Whistling Maple! Oh I used to go there when I was a filly! They've got funnel cakes, cotton candy, kettle corn, everything!" Pinkie said.

"So…what? Now we can die there as adults," Dash uttered cynically.

"Dash, you really aren't helping. This is our last hope, so we're going to go whether you like it or not," Twilight answered.

"Sheesh, I was just joking," Dash defended. "If we're gonna go, let's leave now while the sun's out."

There was no further discussion. The quartet wordlessly gathered their supplies, choosing to exit through a window instead of going down to where the corpse was. There was a small overhang with a wooden ladder propped up against the side, allowing the group to jump down.

Fluttershy was the last to exit, and before that she looked at the gaping square hole in the floor. That hole which led down to an unspeakable horror. A horror which she had created. _The blood, so much blood…_

Heaving one more unsteady breath, the timid pony followed her friends. The symbol of the sun glistened on the rooftop, a companion to the burning ball of fire that floated in the sky, free of any magic that had previously controlled its course. The group was compelled to stare at the picture, which was now just another meaningless cutie mark from the flanks of the forsaken.

Dash said harshly, "Hey Twi', I've got an idea for your next letter to Celestia. Ahem… 'Dear Princess Celestia, BUCK YOU!"

Twilight felt the urge to say something back, but for now she just wanted to go as far away from Canterlot as possible.

xxx

12:00 AM. Eighteen hours. Almost a whole day of non-stop walking. A whole day of hoofing it along infested roads and over abandoned carts. They had covered quite a bit of mileage since leaving behind the demolished walls of Canterlot. Now they found themselves following a highway practically blocked off by carts and carriages.

"Oh my aching hooves," Dash complained. "I don't know how you guys do it."

The quartet was undoubtedly tired, not having a moment's rest since their departure. But now, hanging above the road highlighted with neon lights was a billboard reading _Whistling Maple Amusement Park._

Fluttershy was about to step forward when she was stopped by Rainbow Dash. "Hey Fluttershy. Why don't you…stay back here with Twilight while me n' Pinkie make sure the place is clear."

With a benevolent nod, Fluttershy shrank back while her friends moved on. She found herself maintaining her polite demeanor, replying to Twilight's meaningless conversation with her own quiet, almost robotic answers. But, not surprisingly, all was not well with the timid pony.

The events of last night were still fresh in her mind. But it wasn't just the image of the headless pony brooding in her memory causing her distress. Fluttershy listened to the seemingly far-off gunshots of her friends while she and Twilight waited. And for some reason, she _wanted_ to be with them. She yearned to follow her brave friends, if not to shoot, then to provide some kind of support. But being separated only made her feel more helpless, more useless.

This was basically how the last twelve hours had gone. Fluttershy had endured her friends' generous, yet misguided offers. She made a mental note that she would tell them off when Dash and Pinkie got back.

But before she knew it, the two were hopping over the carts, wiping blood off their hooves. _Well, perhaps I'll tell them next time,_ Fluttershy thought. Joining her friends, the group continued down the highway, towards the amusement park.

The survivors came to a small overpass where the road passed underneath. "Hey girls," Rainbow said. "It looks like there's spotlights over at Whistling Maple." The colorful pegasus directed their attention to the darkened sky where, sure enough, faint beams of light cut through. "That means somepony's there, right?"

"Let's hope so," Twilight uttered.

Unfortunately, the road was completely blocked off by a concrete barrier. Rainbow Dash attempted to kick at the obstruction, but the barrier remained completely immovable. Next to them was the Whistling Maple Motel, completely fenced off. Inside, the group could spy dark figures wandering around the parking lot. But seeing as though the road was blocked off, the motel was the only route left.

Up on the overpass, the billboard for the motel came dangerously close the road. The board formed a convenient bridge over the chain-link fence that separated the zombies from the outside. Realizing this was the only way into the motel, Fluttershy said quietly, "I think we can get across with that."

"Nice thinking, Fluttershy!" Pinkie replied as the group trotted up the overpass, moving as one.

The yellow pegasus was about to climb up when Twilight said, "Here, let _me_ go up first." Holding her tongue, Fluttershy had no choice but to move timidly out of the way while her friends passed.

Twilight's offer was unnecessary, since the billboard had nothing but the remains of some pony who had made it his last stand. From the perch, the group was able to survey the rest of the complex.

The motel, at the very least, still had lights on. But the old fluorescent lighting gave the place an eerie glow, compounded with the diminutive light of the glowing moon. Some of the rooms were boarded up, while others looked like the infected had managed to claw their way in. In the corner was an open pool area, seemingly devoid of any infected presence. The survivors also noticed a few cars, crushed and rolled over like they were made of clay. Dash, reading the minds of her friends, said, "Jeez. What do you think did this?"

With some creative hopping across rooftops, ladders, and tables, the survivors found themselves in the parking lot. The quartet decided to check the pool area to see if any supplies were left. But when they entered, the ponies recoiled at what they saw. The pool was drained empty of water. In its place were numerous dead bodies, blackened and charred. The smell of scum, burnt flesh, and gasoline filled the air. And scattered around the pool area were gas canisters, some still full with the flammable fluid.

"Woah. Looks like whoever was here before us left a parting gift," Pinkie said, retracting from the charred container of death.

"Maybe he's in there somewhere," Dash answered grimly.

Realizing the pool area served no purpose, the group proceeded on. They planned to bypass the roadblock by passing through the motel rooms, coming out on the other side of the road. However, the sound of groaning infected emanated from the closed off rooms. Realizing this, Dash, by now becoming an involuntary reaction, said, "Let's go make sure the place is safe. 'Shy, how 'bout you and Pinkie stay back?" Without an answer, the blue pegasus began to eagerly go on ahead.

But seeing her friend show no concern (or too much concern) for her safety made Fluttershy bite her lip once again. Finally, the yellow pegasus couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Dash replied innocently.

"Stop doing this for me."

"What are you-?"

"Don't do it, Dash. Don't pretend. It's because of what happened at the church isn't it? It's because you girls don't want me to get hurt, right? It's because… I can't do this!" Her voice was becoming uncharacteristically hard and was beginning to quiver.

Twilight began, "Fluttershy, please-,"

"You think I can't handle killing other ponies, right? And so you're doing all this so I don't have to. You think, you think I'm useless! And you know what? It's true!" Now her voice, although remaining only a whisper, seemed to be more terrifying than any scream the horde could make. Her eyes were turned away from the others, tears beginning their descent down her cheek.

"I _can't_ do this. I…I just can't. Just look at me, I'm a mess! I can't even bring myself to look at _anything_! And the birds…the birds…silence…blood…and the dreams…"

Leaning against the wall, she sobbed, "I'm just going to slow you girls down, and I can't let myself do that to you. So…so just go. Leave me alone. Leave useless old good-for-nothing Fluttershy alone. I won't hold anything against you. Only myself." The pony sank to the ground silently weeping, leaving the ultimatum dangling in the air. It was an earth-shattering, forbidden outcry against the horrors of the new, terrible world. Fluttershy, it seemed, had enough.

But the quiet pony looked up to see Dash glaring down upon her with unmoving eyes. "Well, what are you waiting for Rainbow?" she asked.

The pegasus's face remained hardy and stern, answering stolidly, "I'm waiting for you."

"W-what?"

"We are not going to go without you. We're friends until the end Fluttershy, and we aren't gonna leave anypony behind. You don't realize just how important you are to us. Without you, this wing would have made me as good as dead. Without you, that Smoker would have squeezed the life outta me!"

"And you fixed my horn," Twi' piped.

"And you found us these supplies! See Fluttershy, you _are _helpful, even without fighting!" Pinkie added.

"So? Are you comin' or what? Because we can wait here all da-."

Her sentence was interrupted when the wall next to them suddenly became rubble. Plaster went flying outwards while the quartet stumbled away from the gaping hole. The dust cleared, followed by a deep guttural cry that was nothing like anything they had seen before. There in the clearing was a terrible, horrible abomination. The thing was practically composed of bloated muscle, encompassing its body and making it much bigger than the size of a regular pony. Its blue fur was stretched across, revealing the pink flesh underneath. And the head was almost buried underneath the masses of muscle, leaving enough room for the monster to roar with pure, instinctive rage. But among the hardened, mutated pieces of flesh, the ponies could see a set of horns protruding from its head. Sucked into the arm were what looked like fingers.

"What the hell is that thing?" Rainbow questioned.

"Is that-?" Pinkie started to say. Fluttershy immediately stood back up as the monster took shape. To her, the figure was unquestionable. The monstrosity was someone she had known all too well.

It was Iron Will in the flesh. Well, zombified flesh anyway. And now that he was finished roaring, he charged straight towards the group, hobbling on his hands like a gorilla.

Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow opened fire on the monster. But Iron Will was resilient, and every bullet only made him angrier. He/it charged forward, ignoring the sharp pieces of metal lodging themselves into his/its mutated flesh.

But Fluttershy began to back away as her friends were shooting. The trembling of her legs overcame her as she stared at the white eyes of her former "mentor". Finally, since the bullets seemed to do any harm, Twilight Sparkle commanded, "Run! Keep running!"

They didn't get very far. The hulking figure tore a sizable chuck from the ground and hurled it at the survivors. Twilight's horn lit up as she feebly tried to conjure up a shield. But it wasn't enough to withstand the force, and the slab of pavement sent the three crashing to the sidewalk. Then, Iron Will punched one of the wrecked cars, launching it towards Fluttershy as she was galloping away.

As she watched the mangled piece of metal flew through the air, everything around Fluttershy stopped. It seemed as though she was detached from time itself, locked in the confines of her own memories. As it would happen, she saw her life flash before her eyes. She seemed to wander through memories from Ponyville to the present, culminating into the echoing sound of Dash's voice. "You don't know just how important you are…"

As Dash's voice receded back into her subconscious, time began to speed up again. The car crashed down, narrowly missing the yellow pegasus while separating her further from her friends. She witnessed them struggle to regain their footing as the behemoth charged relentlessly towards them. And in that moment, something inside her clicked.

In her blurred vision, Twilight could see the blue flesh of Iron Will rampaging towards them. She reached down towards her gun, only to find that it was launched a few feet away. When she saw the monster advancing and letting out fierce, angry roars, Twilight couldn't help but fear for her life. But just as Iron Will's blurry arm came up to strike, the sound of a gunshot rang out. The shot struck his arm, causing him to halt his attack. "Hey you…you…ugly creature. Over here!"

The giant, blue creature turned towards the tiny, feeble pegasus. Although her heart was ready to beat right out of her chest, Fluttershy managed to stare down the white eyes of her infected foe. She shot another bullet, hitting Iron Will right in the chest. This shot set off the beast, causing him to charge towards Fluttershy with a booming yell.

And as the Tank ran towards her, she ran away. There was no more thoughts, no more second-guesses. Her hooves were machines with a mind of their own, pumping on as she ran towards the pool area. Uncontrollable and unstoppable, Fluttershy let her muscles do the work.

Finally she found herself dashing into the pool area with the Tank not far behind. Picking up one of the gas cans in her teeth, she galloped into the pool, trampling over the burnt corpses. She ignored the sound of crunching flesh as she spread the flammable liquid all over the ground, leaving just a tiny bit left in the can. Finally, she put the container next to her hooves and readied her pistol. For some reason, her hooves were no longer trembling as she held the revolver. She couldn't tell if it was because she wasn't afraid, or if it was because she was holding it so tight.

But the pegasus had no time to wonder about such trivial thoughts. At that moment, the blue behemoth trudged into the area. For a moment, the two foes stared at each other in apprehension. It was a reunion of two enemies, except this time, one of them was going to end up dead. All the timid pony could think was, _I've only one shot at this…_

Then the monster let out his battle cry, echoing throughout the abandoned motel. Then he charged into the pool, crushing the bodies underneath him, the tiny pony in his sights. Although pool was only a few yards across, it seemed more like miles to Fluttershy. He was getting closer. A silent countdown began in her head. Four…three…two…

When the Tank's arm was only a few inches away, she whipped her gun towards the gas can near her hooves. Then, closing her eyes, Fluttershy spread her wings and pulled the trigger. With the grace and beauty of a ballet dancer, she jumped backwards. Using her wings to propel herself, the pony began to do a backflip over the deep edge of the pool. As she reached the bottom of her flip, she could see the flames dancing beneath her; feel the heat singe the tips of her pink, flowing mane. Finally, she felt the impact of the floor on her side, the landing not as graceful as her dance in the air. But a few scratched were certainly much better than what Iron Will was facing.

The flames engulfed the hulking zombie. His arms began to flail, and his grunts turned into agonizing screams. However, in his dying rage, the monster began to charge out of the raging inferno, towards Fluttershy. The timid pony began to backpedal into the parking lot before stumbling over. She watched the flaming demon hurtle closer and closer, the heat of death slowly encroaching her every being. But just before Iron Will could lay a finger on her, his knees began to buckle. Letting out one final death cry, the Tank crumpled down in a pile of burning, dead flesh.

Fluttershy was breathing heavily, the magnitude of the event slowly taking hold of her body. But before she could begin to shiver, she found herself surrounded by her friends.

"That was so amazing Fluttershy! That flip…I can't believe you took that thing down by yourself!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"You were so brave out there!" Twilight Sparkle commented.

"That was quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen! I told you you weren't useless!" Rainbow Dash finished, a huge grin plastered on her face.

Hearing this, Fluttershy looked back at the place where the charred corpse of Iron Will laid. The memory of his visit to Ponyville came back to her, and how he had inadvertently taught her a valuable lesson that day. She couldn't help but realize just how similar these two circumstances were.

Under her breath, she said a small, "Thank you." For even in death, Iron Will had done it again.

* * *

**Just wanted to say, most of this story is also available on FimFiction. That is the primary upload site for me now, so I encourage y'all to check me out there.**


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